A Bar at the Folies-Bergère

Manet painted A Bar at the Folies-Bergère in 1882, working from sketches made at the real venue and in his studio, where a barmaid named Suzon posed for the central figure. It was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1882 — the last Salon submission of Manet's life. He was suffering from locomotor ataxia (caused by syphilis) and would die in April 1883.

The painting's mirror reflection has puzzled viewers for over a century: if the mirror behind the barmaid reflects the room, her reflection should be directly behind her — but it appears to the right, showing her in conversation with a man (visible only in the mirror). No logical viewing position accounts for both the frontal view and the mirror image simultaneously. Art historians have proposed that Manet deliberately created an impossible reflection.