This compelling Self-Portrait by Charlotte Bonaparte, Napoleon's niece, was painted when the artist was only around 20 years old, and gives an insight into the artistic training of this impressive young woman. The daughter of Napoleon's brother Joseph, Charlotte showed prodigious artistic talent from a young age, and studied with Jacques-Louis David and with Louis-Léopold Robert in her teens. For three years in the early 1820s, Charlotte lived with her father in the United States, where she drew and painted numerous landscapes, such as the one prominently featured on her lap in the present work.
This self-portrait is an important acquisition for Princeton, building upon their mission to celebrate and highlight women artists, past and present.
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