size of the original painting: 9 feet x 7 feet
If you don’t like having your picture taken, imagine sitting (or standing!) to have your portrait painted. Portraits took weeks and months—sometimes years!—for an artist to make. You had to be very patient if you wanted a picture of yourself or your family. Fortunately, people in these paintings didn’t have to stick around standing the whole time!
Usually, only the wealthiest people could afford to have their picture painted. This portrait shows the French queen, Marie-Antoinette and three of her four children in their castle. Sadly, the youngest baby died before Le Brun finished the painting. (He would have been in the bassinet on the right side of the painting.)
Even though the portrait is mostly about a royal family, it’s fun to imagine what it would be like to live in this castle. Look at the tall ceilings, the embroidered carpet, and the thick cushion Marie-Antoinette is resting her foot on. What else do you notice?
To Think About:
What do you think these children liked to do when they weren’t having their portrait painted?
Meet the Artist:
When she was eight, Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun sketched a bearded man. It impressed her artist dad so much that he knew she would be a painter. Sure enough, as a young teen Élisabeth started to paint portraits professionally. But when officials discovered that she sold her work without a license, they seized her studio. Élisabeth wasn’t worried. She applied to the Acadèmie de Saint-Luc, and the Acadèmie’s Salon exhibited her art. Suddenly, people everywhere wanted a portrait painted by her—and this time, it was legit.
Throughout her life, Élisabeth painted at least 660 portraits of actors, writers, and aristocrats. She is especially famous for her portraits of France’s queen, Marie-Antoinette.
Fun facts about Le Brun:
• Élisabeth Louise decided to swap her name around to be Louise Élisabeth. Most of her close friends called her Louise.
• A self-portrait with her daughter, Julie, caused a public uproar. Why was it scandalous? Because Le Brun’s smile in the painting showed her teeth.
• Le Brun drew this self-portrait when she was sixteen:
Where in the world: France
