Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrun was born in Paris, France on 1755. Her father was a portrait painter and encourage Elizabeth to draw and paint from an early age. At the age of eleven she began to study art more seriously. When her father died, she resolved to work as a painter and at the age of fifteen she was her family’s chief financial support. Many patrons approached her studio wanting to have their portraits painted by her. Her mother later then remarried to a man who took possession of Elizabeth’s income. Elizabeth’s mother urged Elizabeth marry and so she married Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Lebrun. Elizabeth married him because she wanted to “escape from the torture of living with my stepfather.” Later, Elizabeth gave birth to her daughter, Julie. Marriage
