Memoirs of Madame Vigee-Lebrun

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun was a prolific portrait painter who rode the edge of Rococo and Neoclassical style. One of the most successful painters of her day, her memoirs are extraordinarily conversational, following her path to success, her time as the court painter for Marie Antoinette, and her exile to Rome. I'm always excited to dig into the autobiographies of women artists, but this memoir is a tough read at times. Vigée Le Brun married a tight-fisted husband who denied her access to the money she made from her extensive commissions, keeping one of the most successful artists of the 1800s a veritable pauper.