One of the several portraits Élisabeth Vigée LeBrun painted of her daughter, Self Portrait with Her Daughter, Julie is one of various meanings. Painted in 1789, it is a symbol of love for her daughter as well as a defense of herself. As someone who was close with the aristocracy, Vigée LeBrun was scrutinized during the early days of the French Revolution, before her flight from France.
This portrait is one that practically radiates maternal love and a deep tenderness between Vigée LeBrun and her daughter. It’s humanizing to see a mother and daughter like this, and it’s separating Vigée LeBrun from the harsh ideas about the bourgeoisie. Vigée LeBrun gives the viewer an insight into her close relationship with her daughter, as well. From what I’ve read in her memoirs, Vigée LeBrun and Julie were incredibly close. Given the strained relationship between Vigée LeBrun and her husband, Jean-Baptiste-Pierre LeBrun, Madam LeBrun ended up spending the most time out of the two of them with their daughter. In fact, after Vigée LeBrun and her husband separated, Julie stayed with her mother.
It’s practically impossible not to feel the affection Julie and Vigée LeBrun share for each other in this painting. Julie’s small arms tossed around her mother’s shoulders, and her little face nestled into Vigée LeBrun’s neck. Vigée LeBrun herself is holding her daughter close, smiling at the viewer. You can sense the love radiating from the two figures on the canvas,
As for its relevance to my own story, Vigée LeBrun and her daughter’s relationship was something that deeply intrigued me. The two were so close, especially in Julie’s younger years, and I wanted to capture some of that.