Little Sister Posters and Art Prints

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun often painted portraits of her daughter, Julie. In this image Julie, aged about seven, stands in profile, holding a mirror to her side, and her reflection appears to look back at the viewer. Mirrors in paintings are often associated with either vanity or self-knowledge. Julie’s young age and simple, smart clothing make us more inclined to see the latter. As Julie’s reflection gazes out at the viewer, perhaps we may feel that she knows us too. Julie grew up in Paris, where her mother was under the patronage of Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France at the time. Just two years after this portrait was painted, Julie and her mother fled the French Revolution. Julie became an artist herself, beginning at a you...