French painter Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was born in Paris in 1755, becoming one of the most successful female artists, most notably for her portraits of women. Her art studies began under the tutelage of her father, Louis Vigee, a noted portraitist who worked in pastels. She married art dealer JBP Lebrun in 1776, and received her greatest opportunity in 1779 when she was commissioned to paint a portrait of Queen Marie-Antoinette at Versailles. The two women became great friends and Vigee-Lebrun painted more than 20 portraits of Marie-Antoinette in various poses and fashions. She also painted many self-portraits in the syle of various artists whose work she admired. During her career, according to the artist herself, she painted 900 pictures, including some 600 portraits and about 200 landscapes.
