| | | | Part One |
| | Claude Oscar | Monet | Protagonist. A famous caricaturist. |
| | Camile-Leonie | Doncieux | Claude's lover. |
| | Marc | | Claude's friend. |
| | Eugene | Boudin | One of the local painters. |
| | Old | Gravier | Claude's companion. A shopkeeper. |
| | Leon | Monet | Claude's brother. |
| | Adolphe | Monet | Claude's father. |
| | Marguerite | | Claude's cousin. |
| | LeCadre | | Claude's aunt. |
| | Hannah | | The Monet's housekeeper. |
| | Haussmann | | The Emperor's deputy. |
| | Damek | | The first girl that Claude paints. |
| | Pierre-Auguste | Renoir | Claude's classmate. |
| | Jacob-Abraham Camille | Pissarro | Claude's painting classmate. |
| | Paul | Cezanne | Jacob's friend. Claude's co-painter. |
| | Edouard | Manet | Claude's friend and co-painter. |
| | Jean Frederic | Bazille | Claude's best friend and classmate. |
| | Sisley | | A medical student. |
| | Mirabelle | | Claude's servant. |
| | Annette | Lebois | Camille's sister. |
| | | | Part Two |
| | Lily | | Frederick's girlfriend. |
| | Bazille | | One of Claude's girlfriends. |
| | Julie | Pissarro | Camille Pissarro's wife. |
| | Lucien | Pissarro | Julie's son. |
| | Commander | Lejosne | Frederick's uncle. |
| | Madame | Lejosne | Frederick's aunt. |
| | Edmond | Maitre | Frederick's friend. |
| | Madame | Bazille | Frederick's mother. |
| | Courbet | | The burly artist. |
| | Henri | | Annette's husband. |
| | Lucien | Besique | Camille's old fiancé. |
| | Charles-Francois | Daubigny | One of the great painters. |
| | Madame | Doncieux | Camille's mother. |
| | | | Part Three |
| | Victoire | | Camille's dog. |
| | Monsieur | Doncieux | Camille's father. |
| | Sarah | Bernhardt | The actress. |
| | Lise | Renoir | Auguste's wife. |
| | Degas | | Claude's friend. |
| | Isaac | Clement | Claude's former farmer. |
| | Marc | | Claude's friend from Le Havre. |
| | Berthold | | Father of Marc's fiancé. |
| | Jean | Monet | Claude and Camille's son. |
| | Madame | Mathieu | Claude's customer. |
| | David | | A young actor. Camille's ex-boyfriend. |
| | Paul | Durand-Ruel | The most important art dealer. |
| | | | Part Four |
| | Faucher | | The widow. |
| | | | Part Five |
| | Louis | | Owner of a restaurant. |
| | Berthe | Morisot | A painter. |
| | Nannette | | Annette and Jean's son. |
| | Corot | | One of the greatest artists. |
| | Emille | Cardon | An Art critic. |
| | | | Part Six |
| | Leclercq | | An art collector. |
| | Ernest | Hoschede | An art collector. |
| | Alice | Hoschede | Ernest's wife. Claude's mistress. |
| | Zola | | Camille's friend. |
| | | | Part Seven |
| | Caillebotte | | Claude's co-painter and friend. |
| | Dr. De Bellio | | Claude's friend and customer. |
| | Comte Beguin | Billecocq | Claude's friend and customer. |
| | Michel | Monet | Claude and Camille's son. |
| | Blanche | Hoschede | Alice and Ernest's 2nd child. |
| | Marthe | Hoschede | Alice and Ernest's 1st child. |
| | Germaine | Hoschede | Alice and Ernest's son. |
| | Suzanne | Hoschede | One of Alice and Ernest's daughters. |
