Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun was the daughter of an artist and studied the masterworks of Rubens, Rembrandt, and Van Dyck. In 1783, she was admitted to France's Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. Before she fled the French Revolution, she made her way painting portraits of the French court, including Marie Antoinette. In exile, she painted the royalty of Naples, Russia, and Great Britain. Unlike most of the great old masters, Vigee Le Brun left a detailed memoir recounting her travels as an independent woman and artist. With a lively wit she describes meeting Catherine the Great, the hazards of painting sessions with live eagles, and sharp observations of daily life in post-revolutionary France and pre-revolutionary Russia. With humor, she observed that the legendary "blackbird pie" became an extraordinary event when live birds encountered lofty powdered wigs. She was aware that in a era with few divorces, there were many duels. Moments of Joy-Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun is generously illustrated with 79 high-quality color plates. This is a readers' edition with quality design, comfortably-sized text, and a format that is easy to hold and use. It is the perfect introduction to this great artist."