The Memoirs of Madame Vigée Lebrun

Precocious Talents Manifested -- Mlle. Vigée's Father and Mother -- Death of Her Father -- A Friend of Her Girlhood -- Her Mother Remarries -- Mlle. Vigée's First Portrait of No...

Tedious Sojourn in the Country -- Social Amenities in Paris -- Mlle. Vigée Becomes Mme. Lebrun -- Prognostications of Unhappy Wedlock -- On the Ladder of Fame -- Singularities o...

Impressions of Flanders -- The Authoress's Election to the French Royal Academy of Painting -- Her Devotion to Work -- Social Pleasures -- A Tale of an Artist's Extravagance --...

A Gallic Maecenas -- Anecdote Concerning Beaumarchais -- The Duke de Nivernais -- Mme. Du Barry Sketched in Words -- And Painted in Oils -- Rumblings of the Revolution -- Mme. L...

Naples -- A Sleepy Ambassadress -- The Remarkable Life of Lady Hamilton -- Being the Story of a Frivolous Flirt Fond of Beer -- More Royal Models -- Excursions to Posilippo -- M...

A Queen Who Refused to Be Painted -- A Four-Course Dinner of Frogs, Frogs, Frogs and Frogs -- Villeggiatura -- French Refugees at Turin -- Their Heartrending Plight -- Vienna --...

Arrival at St. Petersburg -- The Beautiful Grandduchess Elisabeth -- Catherine II. Receives Mme. Lebrun -- And Is Most Gracious -- Petty Court Intrigues -- A Visit to Count Stro...

Painting Russian Royalties -- Festivities at Court -- The Pangs of Waiting for Dinner -- "To Keep Warm, Spend the Winter in Russia" -- The Hardiness of Its Common People -- Who...

Surroundings of St. Petersburg -- Patriarchal Unconventionalities -- An Artillery Repast -- The Greatness of the Second Catherine -- Who Lit Her Own Fire and Made Her Own Coffee...

Accession of the Emperor Paul -- His Arbitrary Rule -- His Civility to the Authoress -- A Man Who Did Not Know the Emperor's Address -- Paul's Kindness to Foreigners -- His Fear...

Poniatowski, Last King of Poland -- His Amiable Character -- The Authoress's Faculty of Presaging Death -- Poniatowski the Nephew -- Mme. Lebrun Received as a Member of the St....

Journey to Moscow -- A Bad Smell and Its Origin -- First Impression of Moscow -- Another Impression, Oral and Unpleasing -- The Kremlin -- Steam-and-Snow Bathing -- Society -- L...

Departure from Moscow -- News of the Death of Paul -- Particulars of His Assassination -- Et tu Brute? -- Paul's Presentiments of Peril -- His Successor Not an Accomplice in the...

First Station, Narva -- The Cataract -- Riga -- Hardships of Travel a Hundred Years Ago -- Obdurate Custom-House Officials -- A Summons to Potsdam -- The Loveliest and Sweetest...

Paris After the Revolution -- Renewing Old Acquaintances and Forming New Ties -- Rival Beauties: Mme. Récamier and Mme. Tallien -- Mme. Campan -- An Englishwoman's Slip of the T...

London -- Its Historic Piles -- And Dull Sundays -- And Taciturn People -- Pictures by Sir Joshua Reynolds -- His Modesty -- How to Dry Pictures in a Damp Climate -- The Artisti...

Back in Paris -- The Devotion of Mme. Grassini -- Capricious, Exacting Mme. Murat -- Aspects of Christian Warfare -- "Kill All Those People!" -- Louis XVIII. Enters the Capital...

PRECOCIOUS TALENTS MANIFESTED -- MLLE. VIGÉE'S FATHER AND MOTHER -- DEATH OF HER FATHER -- A FRIEND OF HER GIRLHOOD -- HER MOTHER REMARRIES -- MLLE. VIGÉE'S FIRST PORTRAIT OF NO...

TEDIOUS SOJOURN IN THE COUNTRY -- SOCIAL AMENITIES IN PARIS -- MLLE. VIGÉE BECOMES MME. LEBRUN -- PROGNOSTICATIONS OF UNHAPPY WEDLOCK -- ON THE LADDER OF FAME -- SINGULARITIES O...

IMPRESSIONS OF FLANDERS -- THE AUTHORESS'S ELECTION TO THE FRENCH ROYAL ACADEMY OF PAINTING -- HER DEVOTION TO WORK -- SOCIAL PLEASURES -- A TALE OF AN ARTIST'S EXTRAVAGANCE --...

A GALLIC MAECENAS -- ANECDOTE CONCERNING BEAUMARCHAIS -- THE DUKE DE NIVERNAIS -- MME. DU BARRY SKETCHED IN WORDS -- AND PAINTED IN OILS -- RUMBLINGS OF THE REVOLUTION -- MME. L...

NAPLES -- A SLEEPY AMBASSADRESS -- THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF LADY HAMILTON -- BEING THE STORY OF A FRIVOLOUS FLIRT FOND OF BEER -- MORE ROYAL MODELS -- EXCURSIONS TO POSILIPPO -- M...

A QUEEN WHO REFUSED TO BE PAINTED -- A FOUR-COURSE DINNER OF FROGS, FROGS, FROGS AND FROGS -- VILLEGGIATURA -- FRENCH REFUGEES AT TURIN -- THEIR HEARTRENDING PLIGHT -- VIENNA --...

ARRIVAL AT ST. PETERSBURG -- THE BEAUTIFUL GRANDDUCHESS ELISABETH -- CATHERINE II. RECEIVES MME. LEBRUN -- AND IS MOST GRACIOUS -- PETTY COURT INTRIGUES -- A VISIT TO COUNT STRO...

PAINTING RUSSIAN ROYALTIES -- FESTIVITIES AT COURT -- THE PANGS OF WAITING FOR DINNER -- "TO KEEP WARM, SPEND THE WINTER IN RUSSIA" -- THE HARDINESS OF ITS COMMON PEOPLE -- WHO...

SURROUNDINGS OF ST. PETERSBURG -- PATRIARCHAL UNCONVENTIONALITIES -- AN ARTILLERY REPAST -- THE GREATNESS OF THE SECOND CATHERINE -- WHO LIT HER OWN FIRE AND MADE HER OWN COFFEE...

ACCESSION OF THE EMPEROR PAUL -- HIS ARBITRARY RULE -- HIS CIVILITY TO THE AUTHORESS -- A MAN WHO DID NOT KNOW THE EMPEROR'S ADDRESS -- PAUL'S KINDNESS TO FOREIGNERS -- HIS FEAR...

PONIATOWSKI, LAST KING OF POLAND -- HIS AMIABLE CHARACTER -- THE AUTHORESS'S FACULTY OF PRESAGING DEATH -- PONIATOWSKI, THE NEPHEW -- MME. LEBRUN RECEIVED AS A MEMBER OF THE ST....

JOURNEY TO MOSCOW -- A BAD SMELL AND ITS ORIGIN -- FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MOSCOW -- ANOTHER IMPRESSION, ORAL AND UNPLEASING -- THE KREMLIN -- STEAM-AND-SNOW BATHING -- SOCIETY --...

DEPARTURE FROM MOSCOW -- NEWS OF THE DEATH OF PAUL -- PARTICULARS OF HIS ASSASSINATION -- ET TU BRUTE? -- PAUL'S PRESENTIMENTS OF PERIL -- HIS SUCCESSOR NOT AN ACCOMPLICE IN THE...

FIRST STATION, NARVA -- THE CATARACT -- RIGA -- HARDSHIPS OF TRAVEL A HUNDRED YEARS AGO -- OBDURATE CUSTOM-HOUSE OFFICIALS -- A SUMMONS TO POTSDAM -- THE LOVELIEST AND SWEETEST...

On my arrival in Paris at our house in the Rue Gros Chenet, M. Lebrun, my brother, my sister-in-law, and her daughter were awaiting me when I alighted from my carriage; they wer...

LONDON -- ITS HISTORIC PILES -- AND DULL SUNDAYS -- AND TACITURN PEOPLE -- PICTURES BY SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS -- HIS MODESTY -- HOW TO DRY PICTURES IN A DAMP CLIMATE -- THE ARTISTI...

Although the kind treatment I received induced me to stay three years in London, whereas I had intended to pass but three months, the climate of that town seemed very melancholy...

BACK IN PARIS -- THE DEVOTION OF MME. GRASSINI -- CAPRICIOUS, EXACTING MME. MURAT -- ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN WARFARE -- "KILL ALL THOSE PEOPLE!" LOUIS XVIII. ENTERS THE CAPITAL --...