The Rocky Road to Versailles

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Etienne Vigée, 1773, oil on canvas.

     Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun felt lost without her father's guidance, support, and artistic network. Eventually, at the encouragement of her father's colleague, she picked up her brushes once again.

     Vigée Le Brun began her art studies under the direction of Gabriel Briard, an esteemed artist who was commissioned to paint the Banquet Hall of the Versailles. However, she was not allowed to join Briard's regular class, which was only open to male students. This did not stop Vigée Le Brun from working with Briard during off hours, motivated by Briard's instructions and her personal drive.

     Thanks to her talents, her stepfather's reputation in the high fashioon world, and her brother's connections to the art world and aristrocracy, Vigée Le Brun began forming a repuation for herself in the French art world.