Les Impressionnistes à la huitième exposition de la « Society of French Artists » à Londres au printemps 1874

This article explores the Impressionists' display at the eighth exhibition of the Society of French Artists in London in 1874. It offers fresh context for the first Impressionist show, taking place in Paris at the same time. The article examines the London exhibition within the context of the strategies of the art dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel. It focuses particularly on landscapes by Monet, Pissarro, Sisley and Morisot, and offers a new review of their critical reception, which focused on their radicalism. These pictures are situated within the eclectic range of work on view including imagery by School of 1830 artists. The commercial success of the display is examined. The article affirms the significance of the Paris-London axis to the Impressionist project in the famed spring of 1874.