Sarah Bernhardt with a Cat

Georges Rochegrosse was one of the leading Salon painters in Paris, exhibiting grand history paintings filled with drama, violence, and elaborate detail. He executed very few portraits, but depicted the legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt no fewer than five times. Executed in 1884, this portrait might have been his first of her. Bernhardt was at the height of her career, having risen to prominence in the late 1860s and becoming the darling of the French theater in the following decades. She was celebrated for her “melodious voice” and hypnotic stage presence. Victor Hugo described Bernhardt’s incomparable talents in his diaries in 1872, “She is better than an actress, she is a woman. She is adorable; she is better than beautiful, she has the harmonious movements and looks of irresistible seduction.” In 1880 she set off on her first U.S. tour, where, mobbed by fans and paparazzi, she gave 157 performances in 51 cities, and returned to Paris a rich woman.