In Hogg’s film, a small print of the painting is given by Burke to Swinton Burne after they have studied the image together.
Now, thanks to an art-house hit – a film delighting critics and winning five-star reviews – the spotlight has swung once again on to Julie D’Etange, the enigmatic subject of Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s little painting The Souvenir.
This summer the painting of Julie carving into the tree, completed by Fragonard in 1778, has given its name to British director Joanna Hogg’s new film The Souvenir, starring Tom Burke and Honor Swinton Byrne.
A pile of information sheets placed next to Fragonard’s painting last month quickly disappeared as new visitors homed in on the enchanting image.