Academic art
At the Académie Julian, Madge was quickly identified as a child prodigy and invited to study under William-Adolphe Bouguereau, a prominent artist-educator closely identified with Academic art. In competition with older students from five academies, a 13-year-old Madge placed fifth with her full length charcoal drawing of a nude model. Her drive to draw and paint well was sustained without pause as she worked long hours each day. With her family she often visited the Louvre, where she could check her own progress in the realm of the masters.