Victorine Meurent

Victorine Louise Meurent (1844-1927) was a French painter and a famous model for painters. Although she is now best known as the favorite model of Édouard Manet, she also was an artist in her own right, who exhibited repeatedly at the prestigious Paris Salon. In 1876 her paintings were selected for inclusion at the juried exhibition, when Manet's work was not. Born into a family of artisans (Victorine's father was a patinator of bronzes, while her mother was a milliner), Meurent started modeling at the age of sixteen in the studio of Thomas Couture. She first worked for Manet in 1862, posing for a painting entitled, The Street Singer. Manet was first drawn to Victorine when he saw her in the street, carrying her guitar. Victorine was particularly noticeable for her petite stature and her red hair, which is depicted as very bright in Manet's watercolour copy of "Olympia". As well as playing the guitar, Victorine also played the violin, gave lessons in the two instruments, and sang in... full article at wikipedia