BRETON, juke Adolphe, French painter: b. Courrieres, Pas de Calais, 1 May 1827; d. Paris, 5 July 1906. He was educated at Saint Omer and at Douai, and studied under Felix Devigne and at Drolling's atelier in Paris. The subjects of his earlier pictures, such as (Misere de Desespoir) (1849), were taken from the French revolutionary period, but he soon turned to the scenes from peasant life which he has treated in a most poetic and suggestive man ner, with an admirable union of style with realism. He has been likened to Millet in the depiction of the life of the fields. In 1853 he exhibited the (Return of the Harvesters) at the Salon; and this notable painting was fol lowed by the
Gleaner,) now in Brus sels;
also attained to sane celebrity in prose and poetry, and is the author of two books of autobiography— 'Life of an Artist' (1890) ,• 'Un peintre paysan) (1895). He was elected a member of the Institute in 1886 and was made a commander of the Legion of Honor in 1889. Consult Vachon, 'Jules Breton' (Paris 1899).
BRETON, de los Herreros, Don Manuel, Spanish dramatist: b. Quel, province of Logrofio, 19 Dec. 1800; d. Madrid, 13 Nov. 1873. He was the most notable Spanish poet of the first half of the 19th century. He was a writer of amazing fecundity and gave to the Spanish stage 150 plays, some of them original, others derived from ancient Spanish sources or translated from French or Italian. In him the old French comedy finds not so much an imitator as -its last true representative. He is irresistible in his handling of comic situations. Among his best original comedies are Going Back to Madrid,' 'Here I am in Madrid,' 'This World is all a Farce,' 'Die Once and You'll See.' He was less successful in the historic drama than in comedy. He held at different times government appointments, but his liberal views led to supersessions.