Publication Date: May 16, 2025
This biography follows the remarkable life of Louise-Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, whose portraits of European royalty and nobility hang in many of the world’s most important galleries. As a young woman in the male-dominated society of late 18th century France, she was denied an artistic education and forced to nurture her passion outside the restrictions of conventional schooling. Vigee Le Brun’s vibrant art, in addition to her charm and beauty, caught the attention of Queen Marie-Antoinette, who honored her as her chosen painter. At the pinnacle of her fame and fortune, however, the Revolution forced Vigee Le Brun to flee Old Regime France, leaving everything behind except her only child.
Drawn from her memoirs, archival research, and reexamination of the judgment of her contemporaries, this book portrays a single working mother who survived because of her cachet, charisma, and artistic talent. Cast on a storm-tossed continent, solely reliant on her palette, Vigee Le Brun produced some of her major works during her twelve-year exile, returning to France to continue her work after Napoleon had restored stability. Her story is one of triumph, adversity, perseverance, and ultimately peace.
Although prevented from pursuing a role she deserved in 18th-century France, a talented portrait artist captured many historical faces.
Author Judith Lissauer Cromwell delves deeply into the life of Louise-Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun in a biography bearing the artist’s name. Drawing on historical archives and further research, the author guides readers on a journey through the past.
Of particular interest is the struggle faced by female artists in a male-dominated society. Louise-Élisabeth earned favor from none other than Queen Marie-Antoinette after numerous male artists had failed.
That served as a catalyst for the artist to become a sought-after painter, but given the political backdrop, it also put her in a vulnerable position. With the Revolution gaining speed, the artist spent more than a decade in exile.
Louise-Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun illustrates the life of a woman whose talent enabled her to navigate challenging circumstances.
Former corporate executive Judith Lissauer Cromwell, is the author of three historical biographies about complex and famous women who shaped European history. She lives in New York.
