The Salon of 1822 saw the success of the young Julie Duvidal de Montferrier, who established herself as one of the leading female figures in contemporary painting. Her painting of the Child Bacchus, which garnered widespread acclaim, revisited an earlier version painted in 1820, bathed in the light of dawn. Purchased by the Société des Amis des Arts (Paris) and won by a Mr. Prévost, the work, now in a private collection with a different background, is somewhat less accomplished.
Julie Duvidal de Montferrier (1797â1865), a French painter, is also known by her married name, Julie Hugo, having married Count Abel Joseph Hugo (1798â1855) in 1827, brother of the great writer Victor Hugo.
Portrait of Abel Hugo by his wife, Julie Duvidal
At the Salon of 1819, Julie Duvidal de Montferrier exhibited this self-portrait with a turban,
Julie Duvidal de Montferrier, Self-Portrait at 22
along with its companion piece, a portrait of her sister ZoĂ©. Long lost, as it belonged to the family of the Marquis de Montferrier, it was attributed to François GĂ©rard (1770â1837).
Portrait of Zoé Duvidal de Montferrier at 19
Today, Julie Duvidal's self-portrait is in the MusĂ©e de lâĂcole des Beaux-Arts, and ZoĂ©'s portrait is in the National Museum of Women in the Arts, a gift from Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay.