Parker Brothers Pastime puzzle sawed by #763. Interlocking with color line cutting and 36 figure pieces. Excellent colors, appealing scene by MME
Virginie Demont Breton (1859-1935). She served as President of the Union of Women Painters and Sculptors from 1895 to 1901, though she resigned for a short period of time in 1892 due to a disagreement between her and the Union’s community over what she saw as their unfair methods of voting. She worked with Hélène Bertaux in her effort to open the École des Beaux-Arts to women students; a goal which was achieved in 1897. Thanks to her success in this endeavor, female artists were given the opportunity to not only be present in academic settings, but also the ability to use artistic tools previously not available to them- such as nude models. She was the second woman to be decorated with the Légion d'honneur - the first woman being her mentor Rosa Bonheur- in 1894, and became an Officer in 1914. The previous year, she had been elected to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) in 1913. Originally, she painted portraits and historical scenes but, after moving to Wissant, switched to painting the fishermen and their families in a Realistic style. In 1889, Vincent van Gogh painted his own version of one of her works, L’Homme Est en Mer (Her Man is Out to Sea). She also painted scenes of motherhood and children that depict mothers in strong and powerful imagery within nature. A truly remarkable woman!