Madame Cavé Née Blavot 1809-1883 - "getting Up" Or "the Toilet" Oil On Canvas C1855

Born Marie-Elisabeth Blavot (fig. 1), daughter of rentiers, in Paris in 1809 (or 1806 or 1810, according to some authors), she was related to General Leclerc, Pauline Bonaparte's first husband. In 1831, she married the painter Clément Boulanger (1805-1842), a pupil of Ingres, who introduced her to genre painting. She frequented artists' studios, where she was known as Marie Morchablon, and trained in painting and watercolor with Camille Roqueplan (1802-1855). At the same time, Mrs. Boulanger embarked on a career as a teacher. From 1836 onwards, she earned her living by giving drawing and painting lessons at Mme Chevreau-Lemercier's, the director of a school for young girls at 6 rue de Valois-Rivoli. In 1833, at a costume ball at Alexandre Dumas's house, she met Eugène Delacroix, who fell in love with her and became her lover for a time. In 1844, he is said to have given her a copy of his work Hamlet and Horatio at the Cemetery (1839)....