Caillebotte is not a funny artist generally, but old Mademoiselle Boissière’s protruding lips are undeniably comical. Then again, it’s unclear whether the artist is poking fun at his spinster aunt, or if he wants us to see past the caricature in this quiet domestic scene. Perhaps she’s reached an age when she no longer gives a damn about convention—the Mademoiselleing versus Madameing—and is long since free of the myth of forever young, forever beautiful. It's possible she has a rich inner life, and is beloved by her nephew, and faces the twilight of her life with warm grace.

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