What is the largest sharp print size for The Letter?

At 300 dpi, this 2,582 × 3,722 px file prints up to 8.6 × 12.4 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 17.2 × 24.8 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of The Letter?

Gallery-sharp (300 dpi or above) frame sizes: 8 × 10 in. Sharp-to-poster-quality sizes also work: 11 × 14 in, 12 × 16 in, 16 × 20 in.

Does printing The Letter require cropping the image?

Standard frame aspect ratios may not match this artwork exactly; depending on the size chosen, up to 13% of the image could be cropped. Most print-on-demand services let you adjust the crop position or add a white mat border instead.

The Letter — Camille Corot | Free high-res download

The Letter

Camille Corot · ca. 1865 · The Met, New York

Public domain · CC0 · $0.002,582 × 3,722 px · 9.6 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to8.6 × 12.4 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 17.2 × 24.8 in at 150 dpi

The download is the Met's own open-access file, served by the Met. Big file — give it a minute.

Build the wall set

Art, frame, light and hanging gear, picked together. Choose a size and finish; the wall preview shows exactly what you're getting. One button sends the whole kit to your Amazon cart.

Amazon sells the physical items, sets their prices and availability, and may pay us a commission. The free museum file is separate. How we get paid →

How big can you print it?

Standard frame sizes, turned to match the artwork. "Crops" is how much of the picture you lose filling that frame edge to edge — or keep it all and let a mat take up the difference.

Frame	Effective dpi	Verdict	Crops
8 × 10 in	322	Gallery sharp	13%
11 × 14 in	234	Sharp up close	12%
12 × 16 in	215	Sharp up close	8%
16 × 20 in	161	Poster sharp	13%
18 × 24 in	143	Fine across a room	8%
24 × 36 in	103	Fine across a room	4%
30 × 40 in	86	Too soft	8%

Will it fit over your couch? Put this one on your wall, to scale — crop or mat, frame size, hang height and the order.

The ticket

The Letter is a painting by Camille Corot (French, Paris 1796–1875 Paris), dated ca. 1865. Oil on wood. Size on the museum record: 21 1/2 x 14 1/4 in. (54.6 x 36.2 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its European Paintings collection — H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Gift of Horace Havemeyer, 1929.

The Letter is an oil on wood by Camille Corot, part of The Met's open-access collection. The museum dates it ca. 1865, and files it under accession 29.160.33 in European Paintings. People are the subject, and the grouping and gestures matter more than any single face; avoid cropping the edges. The Met's scan measures 2,582 × 3,722 pixels, which prints about 8.6 × 12.4 in at 300 dpi and 17.2 × 24.8 in at a still-comfortable 150 dpi. Its tall proportions suit a hallway, a narrow wall or the gap beside a door, and the set builder shows how much each standard frame would crop. Its warm reds and oranges suit walnut or gold, which deepen the glow instead of washing it out. Paintings reproduce best on matte paper, since gloss throws glare across exactly the brushwork you came for. Add a small picture light and keep the centre of the piece around 57 inches from the floor; those two choices make a reproduction look deliberate.

The Met released its scan under CC0, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 2,582 × 3,722 pixels — 9.6 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 8.6 × 12.4 in. The painting itself measures about 14.3 × 21.5 in, so a true life-size print runs below 300 dpi — still sharp at normal viewing distance.Paintings reproduce best on matte paper. Gloss throws glare across exactly the brushwork you came for, and a picture light does more for a print than any upgrade in paper.