“Daphnis and Chloe”

Artist: Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau

Where is she from: United States of America

Date: 19th Century

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Gardner was among the first Americans who sought formal art lessons in Paris after the Civil War. She was an excellent linguist who spoke English, French, Italian and German, as well as an accomplished artist. In 1864 she applied to study at the École des Beaux-Arts, the most prestigious academy in Paris. Unfortunately her application was rejected; like most art establishments at the time the school was male only. Undeterred, she continued to enroll in private art classes and built her portfolio.

Her determination paid off. In 1868 she was one of the first American women to exhibit at the “Salon,” one of the greatest annual art exhibitions held by École de Beaux-Arts. And in 1873, Gardner was finally admitted to the previously all-male Académie Julian, where she studied with William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

Bouguereau, whom Gardner married later in life, greatly influenced Gardner’s paintings both in style, subject and composition. This painting is inspired by the romantic tale of, “Daphnis and Chloe,” an ancient pastoral poem written during the Roman Empire by Longus. It is one of the largest paintings Gardner undertook. At the time producing large scale paintings was a style often associated with male artists.

Fun Fact: In the late 1860s Gardner had to disguise herself as a man in order to gain access to the government-run Gobelins art school because, unlike men, women were not allowed to study anatomy from nude models.