Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-29
WOMEN PAINTERS OF PARIS
MANY OF THEM-FIvE IN LE-
GION OF HONOR.
One Gets the Honor of a Retro
spective" Just a Century After
Angelica Kauffmann's Death.

One Of the, features of the autumn Salon
In Paris was the exhibition in room by
themselves of 100 pictures by Nine. Ber-
the Morizot, sister-in-law of Edouard
Manet. The display consisted of corners
of gardens and orchards, stretches of Nor
man coast and portraits of women and
girls done in pearly grays lit up with
faint tinges of carrnine.
1t was the first time that a woman had
held the honor of Retrospective in
Paris. 1t was regarded as showing the
place that women have achieved in little
more than century in the history of art.
This year it Is just a century since the
death of Angelica Kaufman. the first
woman painter to achieve great reputa-
ton.
Mime. Lebrun's Portraits.
At the time of her death Mime. Vigee-
Lebrun was painting the portraits that
have made her known all over the world.
Then came long interval until the rise
of Rosa Bonheur in the COS. But the
latter half Of the nineteenth century saw
a great change.
Women took up painting and even sculp-
ture in great numbers. Those who devote
their lives to art are becoming more
numerous every year and at present there
are hve women who have been decorated
with the Legion of Honor.
Rosa Bonheur, the great animal painter,
was the first woman artist to enjoy that
distinction. The Empress Eugene urged
that it be conferred on her when she and
Napoleon III visited the painter in the
chateau at BY. Napoleon refused to grant
1t. The empress bided her time. The next
year, 1855. the emperor made q trip to AL
geria, leaving the empress regent She
made hurried trip to BY and conferred
the honor she desired.
Rosa Bonheur was distinctly not femi-
nine, but her success stimulated the move
ment Of women toward artistic work. She
received 5000 for her Horse Fair" the
earliest OF her works, and she left for
tune of several million francs.
Honor Legion Women.
The five women who are decorated with
the Legion of Honor today are Nine
Madeleine Lebaire, who is described as
the Rosa Bonheur of Flowers: Nine.
Louise Abbema, Nine. Virginie Demont-
Breton, painter Of marine pieces; Miss
Mary Cassatt. an American girl domiciled
in France, who is famous for the pictures
Of child life. and Mile. Dufau, painter of
scenes and incidents in the Basque prov
inces.
There are several studios specially re-
served for the instruction of girls The
girls, wearing Mother Hubbards over their
street dress, sketch and paint Industrious
ly from the living model.
The supreme authority of the studio is
the massacre, or mace bearer as she is
called In students slang. She is one of
the girls elected by her comrades. She
runs the finances deals with the models,
settles disputes and exercises such dis
cipline as may be necessary-ge nerally as
little as possible.
She is generally experienced enough to
give elementary criticism and help hints
The professor only appears twice a week.
He visits each easel and criticises, usually
without mercy or regard for the sex of
his victims.
Many of the pupils are foreigners,
Americans, Germans, Russians. 1t was in
the Academic Julian that Marie Bashkirt-
SELF painted her humorous piece lie
Meeting" which won for her medal of
honor
Young women are now admitted to the
regular classes of the Ecole des BeauX
Arts. They are placed exactly on the same
plane with the male students. They paint
together from the same models and are in
competition for the great prizes. includ-
ing the Prix de Rome, but no woman has
as yet captured any of the honors of the
school. There are also special courses for
women in other public institutions.
Every year more than 200 women have
pictures hung in the Salon exhibitions.
There are besides two annual exhibitions
exclusively for women.
At one of these, the Society des Femmes
Artistes. the number of exhibitors is lin
tied to forty each year. The other Is the
Union des Femmes Peintres ct Sculpteurs !;
his catalogue contains more than a thou
sand numbers in each exhibition.