Regarded as the foremost animal painter of her time and the most famous female artist of the nineteenth century, Rosa Bonheur (1822–99) is best known for her works Ploughing in the Nivernais and The Horse Fair. She showed an early talent for drawing people and animals, and quickly determined that art would be her career, visiting the abattoirs of Paris and performing dissections in order to better understand animal anatomy. Through her independent spirit, successful career and unconventional lifestyle she made men and other women aware of what could be achieved. Of the various sources of biographical detail about Bonheur, this 1910 publication is among the most authoritative. Incorporating translated letters between the artist and her friends and family members, it provides invaluable first-hand evidence of her approach to painting and her views on the art world more widely. The work is illustrated throughout with many fine engravings.
