Self-Portrait in Traveling Costume

1789–90

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

With her nine-year-old daughter and the child’s governess, Vigée Le Brun fled revolutionary Paris for Italy in the autumn of 1789. There she drew on a wealth of talent to re-create herself in spite of the circumstances that had driven her from home. She is in travel attire—a coat, fichu, and bonnet—looking younger than her true age. To document this moment of transition she chose pastel, the technique par excellence for travelers.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Exhibition History

Title: Self-Portrait in Traveling Costume
Artist: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, Paris 1755–1842 Paris)
Date: 1789–90
Medium: Pastel on paper
Dimensions: 19 3/4 × 15 3/4 in. (50 × 40 cm)
Classification: Pastels & Oil Sketches on Paper
Credit Line: Private collection
Curatorial Department: European Paintings