This self-portrait is usually dated 1892, but this is at best
an approximation, for our only guide is the apparent age of the
artist, who died prematurely in February 1894. In this painting, the facial expression is intense and stern. The
absence of a white collar suggests this might be a portrait of the
artist as a "boater," and in fact it was given to Joseph Kerbrat
(note the unmistakably Breton name), who worked for Caillebotte
as a "sailor". Indeed, it was at the helm
of his sailboat that the artist depicted himself in one of his
last works, dated 1893.
