# The Song of the Lark

**Jules Breton** (French, 1827–1906)  
1884  
Oil on canvas  
110.6 × 85.8 cm (43 1/2 × 33 3/4 in.); Framed: 142.3 × 116.9 cm (56 × 46 in.)

Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1894.1033. [The museum's record](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/94841).

## About this work

This painting by Jules Adolphe Breton was among the first to enter the Art Institute's collection when the museum opened in 1893. It quickly became one of the most popular paintings at the museum. By the 1920s, reproductions were hanging on classroom walls across the United States. In 1934, it was named “America’s Best Loved Picture” in a contest sponsored by the Chicago Daily News .

_Text from the Art Institute of Chicago._

Jules Breton painted this in 1884, aged 57. It is now at the Art Institute of Chicago.

### What you’re looking at

A work made of oil on canvas.

_Description from the Art Institute of Chicago._

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Jules Breton](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/jules-breton)

French, 1827–1906

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: France
- The artist was 57
- Real size: about 43 × 33 in (110 × 85 cm). The 30 × 40 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: woman, sky, horizon, landscape, rural life, bird, farm, field
- Colour: olive
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/255.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/255/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108; 30 × 40 in $148
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258; 30 × 40 in $338
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148; 24 × 36 in $178; 30 × 40 in $228
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5; 30 × 40 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/the-song-of-the-lark-aic-94841).