Louise Abbéma, born in 1853 in Étampes, France, trained in Paris with Chaplin and Henner and quickly gained recognition at the Salon as a portraitist. Her lifelong relationship with Sarah Bernhardt was central, and placed her early on at the core of the tout-Paris. She exhibited regularly, worked with galleries, and achieved a level of fame rare for a woman artist of her time. Her painting engages with Impressionism, particularly in its treatment of light, while retaining a strong sense of structure. Alongside portraits, she produced decorative works for public spaces in Paris. She died in 1927, after a sustained and highly visible career.