Nel frattempo, nella vita di Théodore Rousseau
Tutta la vita1861
A failed auction and a run of misfortunes
After an unsuccessful auction of his works in 1861, Rousseau contemplated leaving Paris for Amsterdam or London, or even New York. A series of misfortunes followed: his wife's mental health worsened, his aged father came to depend on him for money, his patrons were few, and while he was away with his ill wife a youth living in his home, a friend of the family, committed suicide in his Barbizon cottage.
1863
The Alps: sketches of Mont Blanc and pneumonia
In 1863 Rousseau visited the Alps and made sketches of Mont Blanc, but fell dangerously ill with inflammation of the lungs; back in Barbizon he suffered from insomnia and gradually weakened.
1867
President of the Exposition jury
Rousseau was elected president of the fine-art jury for the Exposition Universelle of 1867; his disappointment at being denied the higher awards may have affected his health.
1867
Paralysis and last months
In August 1867 Rousseau was paralysed; he recovered slightly but suffered several further attacks in the autumn, and in November his condition worsened. He died on 22 December (of a heart rupture, by some accounts) in the presence of his lifelong friend Jean-François Millet, who had been much with him in his last years.
7 agosto 1867 · Premio
Officer of the Legion of Honour
