Léon Augustin Lhermitte (French pronunciation: [leɔ̃ oɡystɛ̃ lɛʁmit]; 31 July 1844 – 28 July 1925) was a French naturalist painter and etcher whose primary subject matter was rural scenes depicting peasants at work.

In 1869 he made his first visit to England, where he met Alphonse Legros and became friends with Henri Fantin-Latour and James McNeill Whistler.

From then on, he returned regularly to London where he sold his works through the dealers Paul Durand-Ruel and Edwin Edwards.

On October 28, 1905, he was elected a full member of the Academy of Fine Arts in the painting section.

Vincent van Gogh wrote that "If every month Le Monde Illustré published one of his compositions ... it would be a great pleasure for me to be able to follow it.