Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun: The Entwined Lives of Two Great Eighteenth-Century Women Artists

by Franny Moyle

From the acclaimed author of The King's Painter, a vivid life-and-times biography of two unjustly neglected women artists, Angelica Kauffman and Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun.

In the late autumn of 1789, two of Europe's most celebrated painters met in Rome. One, Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss-born prodigy who had conquered the art scenes of London and Italy. The other, Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, a Parisienne portraitist and favourite of the ancien regime, had just fled revolutionary France under threat of violence and scandal. Both were feted in their time, both were trailblazers in a male-dominated world – visionaries who helped define eighteenth-century art and feminism before the term existed.

This dual biography, framed within a thrilling story, restores these two extraordinary but unjustly overlooked figures to their rightful place in history. Set against a backdrop of revolution, empire and Enlightenment, it traces the dramatic lives and remarkable careers of Vigée Le Brun and artists who not only achieved unparalleled success and influence, but did so while pushing the boundaries of what women could be, both on canvas and in society.

With vivid storytelling, one of the most gifted living writers of artistic biography, Franny Moyle, reclaims their legacies. She examines how each artist navigated fame, scandal and exile; explores the relationships between them and their peers; and considers how they were caught up in the huge cultural cross-currents that were reshaping Europe.

Through their work and their lives, they spoke boldly to the roles of women in public life, highlighted the prejudices and abuses suffered by their sex, reimagined and celebrated the female subject and challenged the institutions that sought to contain them. Through them we encounter icons such as Marie Antoinette (whose portrait by Le Brun scandalised French society) and Catherine the Great, as well as cultural figures such as Emma Hamilton and Madame de Staël. The most notable men of their time – monarchs, statesman, aristocrats, artists and more – are also woven into the fabric of the tale.

MRS KAUFFMAN & MADAME LE BRUN is a timely, revelatory history that not only brings two forgotten artists into view, but rethinks the story of European art itself.

Genres: Biography, Art, Nonfiction, History

481 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 9, 2025

About the author

Former television producer, currently a freelance author.

Reviews

[Zazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun by Franny Moyle takes a close look at two of the most famous female artists at the tumultuous end of the 18th century. Along with the stories of their lives and a deep analysis of their work, the author examines the socio-cultural changes that take place along with the French Revolution.

The book grabbed me from the start: Vigee Le Brun, barely escaping France and the revolutionaries, comes to Rome hoping to meet her hero, Angelica Kauffman, famous for her portraits and historical paintings.

From there we take a few steps back and learn about the life and work of Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun (1755-1842). She's the daughter of a portrait painter and a few years after his death she starts taking commissions for portraits herself. She paints upper class and French aristocracy, but makes a name for herself with intimate portraits of ladies, destined for private chambers. After working for Marie Antoinette she is admitted as one of the 4 women members of the Academie royale de peinture et de sculpture, with the Queen's backing. The thinking of the time was that women couldn't advance the progress of art because they weren't allowed to paint nudes (or study with male models).

Vigee Le Brun shocked at her first Academie exhibition showing an "indecent" portrait of Marie Antoinette wearing a simple muslin dress. The painting would be replaced with another one in proper attire in a few days, but the effects were a new trend (everybody who was anybody wanted a portrait "en chemise") and a whole lot of criticism: that it showed the Queen to close to being one of the people, that is was against Christian decency or that it encouraged cotton imports.

Most of Vigee Le Brun's career in France would be peppered with such scandals. Baron de Crussol's portrait will launch rumors of an affair between them (his gaze in the portrait was considered too direct to be decent) and her 18.000 francs fee for the painting of Marie Antoinette and her Children was thought of as outrageous. In a time of huge class difference between the aristocracy and the common people, the excesses of the royal family fueled the fans of the French Revolution. While the King and Queen were captured at Versailles, Vigee managed to flee France.

Here the book shifts its focus on our second artist - Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807). Born in Switzerland, she starts a career as a painter in Austria and Italy, but becomes famous after moving to London in 1766. She starts by making portraits and learns to engrave them (mostly to promote herself). While at Napoli she has access to ancient roman artifacts which she studies and later incorporates into the most difficult type of art (by the day's standards) - historical paintings. In 1768 she becomes a founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts along with 33 other artists.

Her paintings, inspired by ancient history and legends, always find a way to focus on the female characters. She gains attention with works like: ”Vortigern, King of Britain, enamored with Rowena” (from British history), ”Zeuxis selecting his models for his painting of Helen” (where she casts herself as the painter choosing the models) or ”Achilles discovered” (with the hero dressed as a woman, protecting women). Each story is reframed away from the male gaze/perspective, to show a different side.

The English war effort at the end of the 18th century make London inhospitable for artists and Angelica moves to Rome. "Kauffman was creatively at home in Rome. The aesthetic and intellectual character of her work had been born from a Roman school defined by Winckelman, Mengs and Batoni. She was finally back in the place from which her career had sprung".

In Rome Angelica Kauffman and Vigee Le Brun meet and become friends. Their mutual respect for each other's work compensates for their different personalities. While Vigee is mostly described as impulsive and spontaneous, Angelica is more pensive and restrained.

In the end Vigee finds it hard to settle in Rome. The town is too loud, too crowded and she soon moves to southern Italy. Her career seems to parallel the end of the European monarchies. She has the opportunity to work at Catherine's the Great court just before the Queens death (she's even admitted in the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts), and lives in Viena and Berlin before being allowed back in France in 1802. After her years in exile (as an emigree) she finds a Paris changed by the Terror. "Everything had changed. Nothing, and no one, glistened as before".

The beginning of the 19th century brings a different world, and our two artists never seem to find the same succes as before. Angelica Kauffman dies in 1807 and, sadly, her last painting is donated to an institution and then lost. Vigee Le Brun travels to England and Switzerland before settling back in France. In her late years she prefers the quiet countryside and becomes a landscape painter. She leaves behind over 600 portraits and 200 landscapes.

”Kauffman driven by intellect and a fundamentally theoretical approach to art, offers us a lifetime dedicated to refining a new aesthetic based on antiquity. (...) Vigee le Brun offers a more spontaneous and intuitive creative response to the world around her. Her career represents an engaged and lively, but ever changing, dialogue with her times.”

In an interlude chapter analyzing women artists from 1760 to 1830, the author shares some interesting statistics. Over 1300 women showed 7000 of their paintings in the best Paris and London exhibitions. Today only 5% of the paintings made my women are shown in museums.

This is why I think that this kind of book is important. It's an opportunity to learn about two wonderful artists that were famous in their time, but that seen to have been forgotten by history. Their work was important in advancing female representation and reframing historical figures. Their paintings heavily contrast the same subjects done by men. And they capture the end of an era when monarchs ruled supreme.

This is a wonderful book for people interested in Art History or proto-feminism. I've focused here on the lives of these artists, but the author goes in great detail regarding their works. Such interesting perspectives and simbolism that I couldn't just summarize in a review. In the end I feel like reading this I discovered a whole side to a period in history that I thought I knew well.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author ad the publisher for the ARC.

[Lachlan Finlayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“In the late autumn of 1789, two of Europe's most celebrated painters met in Rome. One, Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss-born prodigy who had conquered the art scenes of London and Italy. The other, Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, a Parisienne portraitist, had just fled revolutionary France under threat of violence and scandal. Both were feted in their time, both were trailblazers in a male-dominated world – visionaries who helped define eighteenth-century art and feminism before the term existed.”

Extract from the publishers description of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and now have a much better appreciation of two great 18th Century artists, their remarkable lives and the eventful times in which they lived.

Like most people, I enjoy certain types of visual art. For the most part Pre-19th Century European art does not resonate with me. Before reading this book I was not familiar with either Swiss-born Kauffman (1741 to 1807) or Frenchwoman Vigée Le Brun (1755 to 1842). When I mentioned these names to better educated and clearly more cultured friends, of course they knew them ! Shame on me.

The book opens with a Preface; a meeting between the two artists in Rome in 1789. Both women were famous, respected and successful. They were known well beyond their homelands due to their artwork, network of clients, circle of patrons and art-world friends. Their success was enhanced by skilful self-promotion, marketing and business acumen. Quite remarkable achievements in the male-dominated art world of the day.

Subsequent to their early success, their styles developed and provided a new and modern approach to traditional subjects, historical compositions and portraiture. It is particularly in the area of portraiture that both women engaged in subtle messaging. The symbolism of clothing, the choice of headwear, jewellery and physical positioning often conveyed a message. Body language and facial gestures, such as a smile with slightly parted lips for example may speak to a sitters character or outlook on life. This provided both artists with an outlet for commentary on the issues of the day and addressed their personal views on the art world and the role of women artists.

After this Preface, the majority of the book recounts the life of each artist in mostly alternating chapters. Although this is a sizeable book, consisting of some 500 pages of text and images, the author does not intend it as a dual-biography. Rather it is the parallel, sometimes overlapping lives of two women artists, navigating the male-dominated world of art and art institutions in turbulent times. The focus is on the artistic evolution of these two women, the reasons for their success and the influence they had during their day and the times that followed. Two strong women, with exceptional skills, talents and character leading the way to subsequent art movements.

I greatly enjoyed reading about the life and times of these women. Their upbringing, families, education and careers. The people they knew, the circles in which they moved and the rich and famous who eagerly sat for portraiture. In the background and oftentimes in the foreground are the changes happening in Europe. Cultural and political changes which touch entire societies. Unrest within nations and wars between nations. Few places in Europe could escape direct or indirect consequences. These are the times that both artists experience in different ways as they establish their styles and grow their careers. Their work reflects the times via their portraiture as well as certain compositional elements of historical themes.

Le Brun’s world is Paris. In the later part of the 18th Century, a place of conflict and change in many aspects of life. Monarchy versus Republicanism and a Feudal system with the Church playing a strong role. Le Brun becomes the artist of choice for Marie Antoinette and Parisian high society. This becomes problematic as power shifts away from these people to others with a different views on how France should be governed. The author leads us on a journey with Le Braun, metaphorical and physical. An artistic journey beginning in Paris, then as an expatriate, fleeing violence and scandal, living and working in Italy, Austria and eventually Russia before returning to Paris. Some places are more welcoming than others. Her works, at least those that survive, document her output under these difficult circumstances, away from her husband and Parisian friends, constantly in-transit, while also needing to provide an income for her daughter and small entourage.

I particularly enjoyed the forensic analysis of certain paintings. The compositional aspect that lead the viewers eye, the body language, dress and accessories. Clues that say something not only about the sitter but also about the artist and the environment in which they live. For example, the social implications of a female artist portraying the gaze of male sitter. Great insights and analysis that will have me looking much closer and hopefully understanding much more about 18th Century art.

The author does not limit herself to the artists and their work. She explores the important role and influence of these two women within the art world and beyond in wider society and aspects of politics, fashion and culture. The French Revolution of course has a huge impact on Le Brun’s and her family. Quite rightly the author does not shy away from certain observations of Le Brun’s world and her choices.

“..there was an imperviousness to the consequences of the social unrest that was mounting in the country. As if art was distinct from real life, and as if its celebrants were immune to its implications…”

Leaving her husband in Paris, she and her daughter depart France for their own safety and successfully continues her career in Europe and later in Russia. Her life is long and eventful. Full of happiness, success as well as family sadness. She eventually returns to Paris, a city now changed, as are her circle of friends, those that survived the times. Her legacy is important. Not only the beautiful works of art, particularly her portraits, but also the record they present of the changing times and her undoubted influence on the art world.

Kauffman, nearly 15 years older than Le Brun is perhaps even more of a pioneer in the art world. Something of a child prodigy, torn between visual arts and music. Her artistic life evolves in Italy with a significant period in England before returning. An Italy of sovereign states, quite different to the unified entity of the modern Italian state.

She is an ambitious woman with strong views on how women should be portrayed, both in the historical and mythological context as well as in current-day portraiture. We learn about the artist’s private life and thoughts, often from her historical fictional work in addition to her portraiture. The author comments on how Kauffman would prioritises women over men in her compositional narratives:

“…a fascinating reinterpretation of a painting and well known historic topic, with the artist herself perhaps included in not a small way as an active participant! “

Although initially based in Italy, her reputation brought admirers and clients from throughout Europe, hence the visit from Le Brun. As with her Parisian colleague, Kauffman’s family played a large role in her career. The dynamics of family, particularly men, is important for both women and portrayed with care, sensitivity and most importantly, honesty by the author.

Midway through the book, once the artists are successful, their relationships presented and artistic works examined the author take the time to reflect on parallels between the two women, their private lives, careers and their experiences in the Art world and the societies they inhabit.

Closing chapters are moving. Once the heights of success are achieved, what comes next ? For each woman, their later years are quite different. Kauffman experiences family difficulties but remains “stoic and relentlessly professional” throughout her life. She dies in the first decade on the 19th Century, her funeral a major event in Italy, her adopted country. Le Brun lived to the fifth decade of the century, but her time had passed, Paris had changed, many of her friends were no longer there. Few of her works survive from her later years.

The book is written in an engaging style with non-academic and non-technical language. A warm, welcoming and accessible tone is used throughout. Occasionally comic as the author describes events as something of a Brouhaha or a quite a Rigmarole ! A reader with a general interest in art will not struggle.

Abundant colour prints supplement the text and allow the reader to examine the descriptions, interpretations and inferences the author proposes. I found this aspect of examination and explaining the various compositional methods and symbolism insightful and fascinating. Sometimes quietly moving. Discussing a family portrait of Marie Antoinette by Le Brun, the author notes:

“Amid a painting that otherwise largely seeks to show the regal status of the queen and her family, this empty cradle serves to connect the queen with the lot of all mothers, so many of whom lost children.

Other commentary is warm and occasionally humorous. Reflecting on a portrait of one high-society Parisian, the author notes:

“She wears a soft wry smile and an expression that seems to ask “so what do you think?” - though one gets the sense that the answer might be of no consequence to her.”

On a particularly beautiful Kauffman still-life of flowers the author comments:

“…one can almost smell their purfume…”

The author reflects on the declining interest of both artists in the 19th Century and well into the 20th Century. In the case of Kauffman, she observes:

“Her particular aesthetic, so greatly appreciated by so many in the eighteenth century, was also criticized. Her work proved more difficult for the nineteenth-and twentieth-century eye”

She illustrates this with an example of a major work entitled ‘Religion’. It was loaned to regional galleries in England during the years leading up to World War II, moved around, deteriorated and was largely unwanted. Its fate today is unknown. Most likely it was lost during the Blitz. Le Brun’s legacy was similarly in decline. For example the well-known Parisian art ‘expert’ Simone de Beauvoir did not care for her work.

Notwithstanding that their names are still less well-known than the many who came later, it is reassuring that recent exhibitions and retrospectives have been dedicated to or have including works from Le Brun and Kauffman and have been successful. They are now placed in a more prominent position in the history of art. And in the authors view, this is justified. I’m inclined to agree. Although to paraphrase Le Brun’s client, Catherine the Great, “…I’m no authority on Art…”.

Regardless of my skill or knowledge, I very much look forward to visiting galleries and museums to see for myself the work of these two great artists and remarkable women; Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun.

The book concludes with abundant Notes, a selected Bibliography and a comprehensive Index. I particularly found the Image Credits useful as inspiration for my future travels. I wish the author and her publishers all the very best with this well researched, insightful and engaging book.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated this 4.5 out of 5.

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I did not realize that I already knew some of the artwork of the two protagonists of this work. I have the linen portrait that Madame Le Brun painted of Marie Antoinette in a chemise dress on my pinboard. While I thought this would be an interesting biography of two women who defied expectations as women in the eighteenth century, I was blown away by how in-depth this work actually was. Not only is this book an examination of the lives of Mrs. Kauffman and Madame Le Brun, but it is also an art criticism book as well as a history of eighteenth-century Europe.

Moyle's work is both comprehensive and captivating. This book, in some ways, is a painting as she layers all of the information together to provide a complete and complex portrait. Moyle's writing is compelling that in some instances the lives of Kauffman and Le Brun felt like watching Reign rather than reading a history book. Additionally, seeing the work that Kauffman and Le Brun produced and then having it explained by Moyle gave me a greater appreciation for these women and all they brought to the world of art.

My only real complaint about this book is that, overall it did not seem to follow a single linear timeline. There were a few instances where we would be speaking about Marie Antoinette as dead, and then in the next chapter, she was alive again. I think because of the dual nature of the biography and the age difference between the central figures that there was a little muddying of the timelines.

Although this book discusses in great depth the events of the French Revolution, because both of the central figures lived through these events, my favorite part was Le Brun's time in Russia. Something about how Moyle discussed this time in Le Brun's life and how she seemed to be lacking some of the passion that she once had made this woman, who died 183 years ago, seem so relatable.

I really enjoyed this book. If you are an art lover or history buff focused on the French Revolution, this is a great book to pick up. Or if you want to learn something new, like I did, this book won't disappoint. It is chock full of information that is well researched and well written, so novices can easily comprehend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus|Apollo. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


CONTENT WARNINGS
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, Classism
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Slavery, Suicide

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angelica Kauffman
​Born October 30, 1741, in Chur, Switzerland, Angelica Kauffman was the daughter and pupil of painter Joseph Johann Kauffmann. She was a child prodigy in painting and music. Early in life, she traveled extensively in Italy with her father, quickly gaining renown and becoming an honorary member of several Academies. She married young, secretly in London to an imposter claiming to be Count Frederick de Horn, which was swiftly annulled. Later, she married painter Antonio Zucchi. Her greatest accomplishment was becoming one of only two female co-founding members of the Royal Academy of Art in London (1768). A leading figure in Neoclassicism, she bravely excelled in history painting, a genre dominated by men.She also found success through widespread reproduction of her designs on decorative objects.Kauffman died in Rome on November 5, 1807; her lavish funeral was orchestrated by sculptor Antonio Canova.

​Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
​Born April 16, 1755, in Paris, Élisabeth Vigée was the daughter of portraitist Louis Vigée. Largely self-taught after her father's death (1767), she quickly developed a clientele. Her early marriage to art dealer Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Le Brun was strained by his gambling. Her central accomplishment was becoming the favourite and official painter of Queen Marie Antoinette, completing about 30 royal portraits. She was admitted to the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture (1783) through royal intervention.She fled the French Revolution, spending over a decade in exile across Europe, working for nobility and became an international celebrity. She died in Paris on March 30, 1842.

​Entwined Destiny
​The artists met in Rome in late 1789/early 1790. Vigée Le Brun had just fled Paris; Kauffman was the artistic leader.Their lives were paralled: both were child prodigies, achieved unparalleled international fame (as court painters/Academy members), faced intense public scandal (disastrous marriages), and were art pioneers.The meeting sparked a fast friendship.They spent weeks together, sharing views on art and visiting sites. Vigée Le Brun documented their mutual respect and admiration in her memoirs.

[MoonlightCupOfCocoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first, thank you to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for the advance copy. As always all opinions shared are 100% my own.

This book was a delight. "Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun" by Franny Moyle is a biography of two influential female artists, an art study and introduction of their works and influences as well as an exploration of women lives in general during a turbulent period of European history. So, you can see why I was attracted to it. And I was hooked from the very first pages as we see glimpses of what's to come as Vigee Le Brun having just escaped with her life seeks to meet Angelica Kauffman.

In the next few chapters, the book takes the reader through the parallel lives of both artists, getting to know them intimately through their actions, words and works as well as through the eyes of their contemporaries, usually male. Be it Vigee Le Brun's paintings of Marie Antoinette that ultimately played a part in her execution or Angelica Kauffman's tributes and critiques of her contemporaries and predecessors, it was eye opening to see just how differently they were received all through their lives, and even now, compared to their male counterparts for daring to be themselves and steering away from the male approach to some of the same subjects.

While I loved learning about the two painters, I come out of this book with a much deeper understanding of the symbolism, the messaging and the details in their works. I admit I'd never looked at their work so keenly before but now I am absolutely in love with them especially after understanding the context and the thought that went into them. Especially their historical paintings.

I admit I found myself aching a bit at the book reaching the end because a part of me felt that these two did not get the appreciation they deserved in their lives, but I am glad that thanks to this book I now can appreciate their works myself.

Whether you're an art or a history lover, I think you'll enjoy this book as much as I did. It's accessible, comprehensive and so very informative.

You can also find me on: Instagram

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this incredible new biography of celebrated eighteenth-century painters Angelica Kauffman and Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, Franny Moyle returns them to their rightful places in history against the Enlightenment, French Revolution, and expansion (and contraction) of the British and French empires. Moving between their respective stories and careers, the book offers fascinating insight into their careers in the English, Italian, and French art scenes and their triumphs and growing influences. Packed with detail and meticulous historical research, readers will love the fascinating and complex stories that Moyle brings to life in this lengthy and dense but deeply enjoyable new title. The two women’s stories offer a complicated picture of the eighteenth-century art world that history fans will love, and the spotlight on their respective stories will really pull readers into women’s history. Moyle is a brilliant writer who has clearly done her research, and the depth of detail she gets into is absolutely astounding. The primary sources and images, to say nothing of the synthesis and larger argument, add so much depth to their respective stories. Brilliantly written and totally informative, history readers will love this brilliant new dual biography of Angelica Kauffman and Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun and the art world they helped shape.

Thanks to NetGalley, Head of Zeus, and Apollo for the advance copy.

[Sarah Holz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is more of a four star for content, as I was already familiar with the historical milieu and most of the biographical information about Kauffman and Le Brun, but I’m willing to bump it to a five solely for presentation. I am always quick to applaud art books for actually including the art under discussion (in color!), and Franny Moyle has curated probably more full-color reproductions than I’ve ever seen in a standard biography text, and more than I’ve seen in some art books, frankly. Even if you’re already familiar with the artists and their times, this book is worth picking up for the wealth of illustrations (particularly for Kauffman’s art, so much of which is in private collections), and Moyle’s many detailed discussions analyzing both women’s artistic composition. Even as someone who is fairly adept at “reading” historical art, I feel like I learned a lot.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun is an engaging and well-researched look at two remarkable artists whose stories deserve far more attention. Franny Moyle brings their lives and work to the forefront with clear, vivid writing that captures both the intensity of their era and the impact they had on the history of art. The book is full of insight without feeling heavy, and the included illustrations make the discussion of their paintings especially rewarding. A compelling and important read for anyone interested in art history or the lives of trailblazing women.

Thank you to Head of Zeus and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dual biography tells the intertwined stories of Angelica Kauffman and Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, two groundbreaking 18th-century woman artists. Set against the backdrop of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, it explores their remarkable careers—navigating fame, scandal, and exile, and their impact on art and feminism. The book is fascinating and beautifully written, with gorgeous illustrations.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Clare Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting biography of two 18th C female painters. It is more like two separate biographies. I particularly enjoyed the way the author offered information on the influence of other painters and how this shaped these artists. The 'biographies' discuss the Neo Classical movement, Romanticism obviously the French Revolution, the finds in Rome and Pompeii and what impact this had on art at the time.

[Kristin]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Head of Zeus for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Dry.

[Nicole Perkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this book as I have an interest in the work of female artists because they are so underrepresented (which is the only reason I am specifying "female" in this review); while there is a good deal of information about both Angelica Kauffman and Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, I found this book difficult to engage in. Both women were brilliant artists, though I feel Vigée Le Brun was rather full of herself and made sure the world knew that (and carefully crafted a narrative to suit her image). More of the book was dedicated to Vigée Le Brun than Kauffman. which I feel is an injustice. The writing style is rather flat; it almost reads like a dissertation.