Rosa Bonheur Research Paper

The 19th century was during a time of Abolitionism and Women’s Suffrage, but Bonheur’s place in the evolution of women’s rights appears to be ambivalent. In her reminiscences, Rosa Bonheur appears to be very defiant towards the restrictions women had during her time. However, Bonheur also makes it very clear that she dresses the way she does not because she is trying to stand out or make a statement but because it is simply convenient to her and she is certainly not concerned with how others view. The way she dressed was suitable to her hobbies, especially to her lifestyle and her profession. Most of her days were spent at a slaughter house, which was something unusual to the ways most women spent their leisure days doing. During this time …show more content…
Women were supposed to behave conservatively, quiet and private. They dressed in corsets, bonnets, top hats, bustles and petticoats. Bonheur one the other hand challenged most these things, which is what largely set her apart. Many women did not pursue painting, especially not as a profession. They did not spend time at fairs. Her father, Raymond Bonheur, seems to be one of her biggest influences in her life and shaped her to be strong and independent from society. Her father was part of the Saint-Simonians which urged a form of socialism which expressed a voice for the equality of women and men and establishment of class distinctions. His association with the group contributed to Rosa’s unorthodox outlook and defiant personality leading to her to dress as a male, despite the misunderstanding of many. In her reminiscences she expresses that he constantly reminded her a women’s mission was to uplift the human race. Bonheur paid no mind to what she calls the “imbeciles” of her time that criticized her choices. This is in itself is what made Bonheur an independent person. Her choice of clothing did not mean she did not enjoy being a woman or that she was intending to make a point to men that women can dress as they