Louise Catherine Breslau
Also known as: Louise Catherine Breslau, Louise Breslau, Maria Luise Katharina Breslau, Marie-Louise-Catherine Breslau, Mlle Breslau, Breslau, Louise, Aramis, cette canaille de Breslau, la Suisse
Basic Information
Louise Catherine Breslau (born Maria Luise Katharina Breslau, 6 December 1856, Munich -- 12 May 1927, Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a German-born Swiss painter known primarily for her portraits, pastels, still lifes, and interior scenes. She was Marie Bashkirtseff's chief rival at the Academie Julian and one of the most accomplished women artists of the late 19th century. Marie nicknamed her "Aramis" after the musketeer in Dumas' novel, casting their small group of atelier friends as the four musketeers (076.1877-11-28). With approximately 488 text references across 29 carnets (075-104), Breslau is one of the most frequently mentioned individuals in the entire diary. The Marie/Breslau rivalry is one of the diary's great narrative arcs -- a story of envy, admiration, competition, reconciliation, and grudging mutual respect that runs through all seven years of Marie's artistic life.
Early Life and Education
Born in Munich to an apparently assimilated German Jewish family of Polish Jewish descent. Her father, Dr. Bernhard Breslau, was a professor of classical philology who in 1858 accepted the position of professor and head physician of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Zurich; the family moved to Switzerland when Louise was two. In December 1866, Dr. Breslau died suddenly from a staph infection contracted during a post-mortem examination, leaving Louise, then ten, to be raised by her Swiss mother.
Suffering from chronic asthma all her life, Breslau turned to drawing as a child to pass time while confined to bed. By 1874, after taking drawing lessons from the Swiss portraitist Eduard Pfyffer (1836-1899), she knew she would have to leave Switzerland to study art seriously. She enrolled at the Academie Julian in Paris around June 1876 -- one of the few institutions where women could receive professional art training, including study from the nude model -- because the Ecole des Beaux-Arts remained closed to women until 1897.
The Rivalry: Arc and Key Incidents
First Impressions (October 1877)
Marie enrolled at the Academie Julian in October 1877, roughly a year and a half after Breslau. From the very first week, Marie was riveted by Breslau's talent and personality. On October 18, she notes that "Breslau, l'amie de Schaeppi a je ne sais quoi d'Alexandre" -- something of Alexander the Great about her, surprising in a Swiss woman (075.1877-10-18). Two days later: "Breslau a recu beaucoup de compliments de M. Robert-Fleury, moi pas" -- and she asks herself "avec terreur quand j'arriverai a bien dessiner" (075.1877-10-20). She immediately begins calibrating: "Breslau travaille depuis deux ans a l'atelier et elle a vingt ans. J'en ai dix-huit. Mais Breslau a beaucoup dessine avant de venir ici" (075.1877-10-20).
"Cette canaille de Breslau" (November 1877)
By November, Marie's signature phrase emerges: "C'est cette canaille de Breslau qui m'inquiete. Elle est admirablement organisee" (076.1877-11-15). The word "canaille" (scoundrel, rascal) is used with affection -- it expresses Marie's mixture of exasperation and admiration. On November 23: "Je suis contente d'ailleurs de trouver une rivale digne, avec les autres je me serais endormie" (076.1877-11-23). And the famous praise: "Cette canaille de Breslau, elle n'avait pas assez de ressembler a Alexandre il faut encore qu'elle ait du talent... Je l'aime bien cette fille, elle a du talent" (076.1877-11-06).
The Musketeer Nicknames (November 1877)
On November 28, Marie assigns Dumas' characters to the atelier circle: "Breslau qui est Aramis; Schaeppi -- Porthos; Amelie d'Artagnan. Athos ce n'est pas moi vous le savez bien, et je n'aimerais pas l'etre, c'est trop grave pour moi" (076.1877-11-28). Per Kernberger (2013), the Aramis nickname stuck. The casting is revealing: Aramis is the most refined, secretive, and intellectually sophisticated of the musketeers -- the one with hidden depths.
The Seat Dispute (January 1878)
An early friction point: "Je me suis presque querellee avec Breslau qui avec une indelicatesse tres vilaine avait profite d'un fichu-pretexte pour me prendre ma place" (077.1878-01-08). Marie was furious for a week. Then again in May 1878, a similar incident: "Breslau me signifie que j'ai a me placer apres tout le monde ayant perdu ma place" (080.1878-05-13). Seating position mattered in the atelier -- closeness to the model directly affected the quality of one's work.
The Skull-Painting Incident (May 1878)
Marie announced she planned to paint a skull, then Breslau painted one first: "Pendant que je m'appretais a peindre ma tete de mort, ayant selon mon caractere tambourine prealablement ce projet, Breslau en a peinte une cette semaine. Cela m'apprend a etre moins bavarde" (080.1878-05-16). She bitterly observes that everyone congratulates Breslau on the originality of her idea. The incident led to a temporary rupture: "Depuis ma rupture avec Breslau je suis polie avec Amelie" (080.1878-05-23).
Fortune-Telling and Hierarchy (New Year's Eve 1877)
At the New Year's Eve gathering among the art students, the fortune-telling results revealed the atelier's unspoken hierarchy: "Breslau aura des couronnes, moi le prix de Rome et les autres des fours et des soufflets" -- Breslau will have crowns, Marie the Prix de Rome, and the rest failures and slaps (077.1877-12-31). Marie notes the telling detail: "Pourquoi pas Zeller et Schaeppi des couronnes et moi et Breslau des fours" -- why were only the two of them predicted success?
Grudging Respect Deepens (1878)
Marie's estimation sharpens throughout 1878. After seeing Breslau's painting: "Breslau a peint une joue si nature et si vraie que moi femme, artiste, rivale, j'ai eu envie d'embrasser cette joue de femme..." (083.1878-11-21). And the devastating self-assessment: "Je suis effrayee de l'avenir de Breslau. J'en suis irritee, assombrie, triste. Est-ce assez mauvais !" (083.1878-11-22). She praises Breslau's work for having "nothing feminine, banal, or misshapen" -- the highest compliment Marie could offer a woman artist (083.1878-11-22). In the concours of October 1878, the ranking was: "1. Breslau" (083.1878-10-26).
The 1878 Concours and Hands (October 1878)
The concours results could sting, but personal observations cut deeper. Breslau noticed something about Marie that no one else had: "Breslau dit que la facon dont mes mains touchent les objets est une beaute quoique je n'aie pas les mains classiquement belles" (083.1878-10-26). Marie is both flattered and suspicious: "Il faut meme etre Breslau qui invente des choses pour paraitre originale et profonde et qui n'est pas bien sure elle-meme" (083.1878-10-26). The observation reveals Breslau's eye for the telling detail -- and Marie's ambivalence about receiving compliments from her rival.
Rupture and Reconciliation (1878-1879)
Marie's sharp tongue and Breslau's occasional dishonesty led to periodic ruptures. In January 1879: "Je voudrais me remettre avec Breslau qui me serait precieuse et je n'en ai pas envie, elle est menteuse et parfois fausse tout en ayant une reputation de droiture et de brutalite" (084.1879-01-11). By April 1879, their mutual friend Sarah Purser was mediating: "Sarah veut me reconcilier avec Breslau, je fais des difficultes mais j'en serais heureuse au fond" (084.1879-04-05). Reconciliation came with characteristic comedy -- a scene involving orange slices and mock-diplomacy (084.1879-04-16).
Salon Competition (1879-1884)
Both women debuted at the Paris Salon -- Breslau in 1879 with Tout passe (a self-portrait with friends, the only student from the Julian women's atelier to be accepted that year), Marie in 1880. From then on, each Salon was a direct comparison. In 1880, Marie found Breslau's portrait of Mgr. Viard "un bien mauvais morceau de peinture" -- too grey, too dirty (088.1880-04-30), but noted they were both hung in the galerie exterieure: a bond of shared indignity. In 1881, Breslau earned an honourable mention with Portrait des amis while Marie received nothing: "C'est la mention ou la medaille de Breslau qui me fait partir" -- it is Breslau's mention that makes her leave Paris (092.1881-05-15). In 1883, they were again placed side by side: "Il n'y a eu deux pastels recus avec n. 1. Le mien et celui de Breslau" (099.1883-04-22).
The Obsessive Comparison (1881-1882)
In carnets 092-097, Marie develops an elaborate chronological calculus comparing her progress to Breslau's year by year. She computes painting years, subtracts time lost to illness and travel, and tries to prove she is keeping pace: "Si je suis a peu pres de sa force de 79 en 81 nous avons marche de pair" (097.1882-11-23). She calculates that Breslau began painting at the end of 1876, while Marie began drawing only when Breslau was already painting for a year. Therefore "en admettant que je suis aussi bien douee que Breslau, j'ai marche a peu pres comme elle" (097.1882-11-23). These passages are among the most psychologically revealing in the diary -- Marie uses arithmetic to fight despair.
The Cardboard Box and the Oak Casket (December 1881)
One of Marie's most devastating self-assessments comes through the Breslau comparison: "A cote de Breslau je me fais l'effet d'une boite de carton mince et cassante a cote d'une cassette en chene massif richement sculpte" -- beside Breslau I feel like a thin, breakable cardboard box next to a massive richly carved oak casket (094.1881-12-21). She adds: "Je me meprise, je me nie, je ne comprends pas que Julian et Tony disent ce qu'ils disent. Je ne suis rien, je n'ai rien dans le ventre."
Breslau as Mirror (1882)
By 1882, Marie recognizes that Breslau represents what she could be if she shed her social ambitions: "Breslau est maigre, biscornue, ravagee, quoiqu'avec une tete interessante. Aucune grace et garcon et saie ! Elle n'arrivera a etre un peu femme que si elle a du genie; moi si j'avais son talent je serais comme personne a Paris" (090.1882-04-22). The contrast is clear: Breslau sacrificed everything for art; Marie could not entirely abandon the world. She envied Breslau's freedom: "heureuse Breslau... je donnerais pour l'etre autant qu'elle sans hesiter tout ce qu'on appelle mes bonheurs et mes richesses. Dix mille francs de rente pour etre independante et du talent avec cela on a tout" (094.1882-02-10).
The Mme Cartwright Affair (1882-1883)
The wealthy American patron Mme Cartwright, who had been Breslau's protector, switched allegiance to Marie -- or at least attempted to play them against each other. Marie saw through it: "M'opposer a Breslau et lui prouver qu'elle a eu tort de se brouiller avec elle" (097.1882-11-21). Marie's response is characteristically generous despite the temptation: "je n'ai pas le moindre desir de mechancete, Breslau n'en sera pas meme amoindrie, il y a place pour plus d'un succes sous le soleil, elle n'en mourrait pas et moi j'en vivrais."
Bastien-Lepage and Romantic Rivalry (1883)
The rivalry extended beyond art. Both women were drawn to Jules Bastien-Lepage, the Naturalist painter Marie idolized. Marie records: "il parait que Breslau s'est jetee a sa tete" -- Breslau threw herself at him (099.1883-05-02). At the 1883 Salon vernissage, Marie maneuvered to walk with Bastien-Lepage while "Breslau a une table a cote" (099.1883-04-30). The architect found this unkind: "Vous avez tellement d'avantages sur elle." Marie responded: "Tiens je ne trouve pas."
Final Assessment (1884)
In Marie's last year, the rivalry had mellowed into something closer to professional coexistence. At the 1884 Salon, Marie noted Breslau's work had changed: "elle expose deux portraits, je n'en ai vu qu'un qui m'a etonne beaucoup, c'est une imitation de Manet, cela me deplait. Ce n'est plus fort comme avant" (104.1884-04-30). Marie adds, with rare honesty: "c'est peut-etre affreux ce que je vais dire mais ca ne me chagrine pas. Je n'en suis pas non plus contente, non, il y a place pour tout le monde." In the admission rankings, Marie noted: "Je subis la loi commune... et je ne suis pas moins soutenue que Breslau ou d'autres" (103.1884-03-30). Even in her final feverish half-sleep, Breslau surfaces among the jumbled words: "Cabanel, vernissage,.. Hochon,.. Breslau,..? il est donc sorti... Cimaise... Wolff !" (103.1884-03-16).
Professional Career
Breslau achieved the professional success that Marie's early death prevented her from reaching:
- 1879 Salon debut: Tout passe, a self-portrait with friends (Sophie Schaeppi and Maria Feller), the only work from the Julian women's atelier accepted that year
- 1881 Salon: Portrait des amis (A Portrait of Friends), earning an honourable mention at the suggestion of instructors Rodolphe Julian and Tony Robert-Fleury. Marie was devastated not to receive a similar distinction
- 1887: Represented Switzerland at the World's Fair and won a gold medal
- 1890: Co-founding member of the refounded Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts under the presidency of Ernest Meissonier -- one of only two female founding members (alongside Madeleine Lemaire) among 184 members. Served on the jury
- 1901: Awarded the Legion of Honour, the first foreign woman artist to receive this decoration
- 1928: Retrospective at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, one year after her death
- 1932: Featured in a retrospective at Galerie Charpentier dedicated to women who trained at the Academie Julian
Breslau became a respected colleague of major artists including Edgar Degas and Anatole France. She was highly sought after for her ability to capture both the physical and psychological traits of her subjects, and received numerous commissions from wealthy Parisians. Several of her works were purchased by the French state during her lifetime.
Personal Life
At the Academie Julian, Breslau formed her most significant personal relationships: the Irish artist Sarah Purser, Sophie Schaeppi (Switzerland), Maria Feller (Italy), and Jenny and Madeleine Zillhardt. Madeleine Zillhardt became Breslau's lifelong companion -- muse, model, confidant, and supporter -- for over forty years. Breslau never married and dedicated her life entirely to art. Zillhardt inherited Breslau's estate, donated sixty of her pastels and drawings to the Musee des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, and in 1932 published Louise Catherine Breslau et ses amis (Louise Catherine Breslau and her Friends).
Marie noted Breslau's bohemian living situation with some envy: Breslau shared modest quarters at the Ternes with Maria the Italian singer, Schaeppi, and Sarah Purser -- an "eminemment artistique" milieu that Marie contrasted with her own "bete, enervant et ignorant" family surroundings (094.1881-12-18, 097.1882-11-27). When someone asked Marie "Mais Breslau vit donc seule..." the implication was clear: Breslau had the independence Marie craved (092.1881-07-07).
Diary Coverage
Breslau appears in Marie's diary from October 1877 (carnet 075) through June 1884 (carnet 104), spanning 29 carnets with approximately 488 text references. The density varies with the intensity of their relationship:
- Carnets 075-077 (Oct-Dec 1877): First encounters, fascination, the musketeer nicknames
- Carnets 078-080 (Jan-Jun 1878): Seat disputes, the skull-painting incident, rupture
- Carnets 082-084 (Sep 1878 - Apr 1879): Concours rankings, reconciliation through Sarah Purser
- Carnet 087 (Jan-Apr 1880): Both debut at the Salon, placed in galerie exterieure
- Carnets 090-092 (1881-82): Breslau's honourable mention, Marie's obsessive chronological comparisons
- Carnets 094, 097 (Dec 1881 - Jan 1883): Peak intensity -- the "cardboard box vs oak casket" period, Wolff's article praising Breslau, the Cartwright affair
- Carnets 099, 103-104 (1883-84): Mature coexistence, final assessments
Marie refers to Breslau variously as "Breslau," "Mlle Breslau," "cette canaille de Breslau" (affectionate), "la Suisse," and "Aramis." The diary also occasionally uses "Louise" in informal contexts. In Marie's mind, Breslau was always the benchmark: "Il n'y a que nous deux" -- there are only the two of us (077.1877-12-28).
Historical Significance
Breslau's career exemplifies the possibilities that opened for women artists in the late 19th century through institutions like the Academie Julian. Her success -- achieving official recognition, state purchases, the Legion of Honour, and a retrospective at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts -- demonstrated that women could compete at the highest levels of French painting. Her relationship with Marie Bashkirtseff has become one of the most studied artistic rivalries in the history of women's art, with scholarship examining it as a case study of how competition among women functioned within institutions that excluded them from the male art world.
Breslau survived Marie by 43 years. Whether she knew the full extent of Marie's obsessive diary commentary is uncertain -- but Breslau was clearly aware of her rival's opinion. She had asked about her "belle ennemie" (094.1882-01-14), and the diary records mutual friends relaying messages between them. Mlle Feurgard, their shared friend, insisted that "cette heureuse fille me rend entierement justice et n'a jamais dit de mal de moi" (097.1882-12-02).
Related Entries
- #Academie_Julian -- the school where they competed
- #Art_Practice -- Marie's artistic development, Breslau's role in it
- #Rodolphe_Julian -- school director who managed the rivalry
- #Tony -- Tony Robert-Fleury, instructor to both
- #Amelie -- Amelie Beaury-Saurel, fellow student ("d'Artagnan")
- #Schaeppi -- Sophie Schaeppi, Swiss friend ("Porthos")
- #Bastien_Lepage -- painter both women admired
- #Cartwright -- patron who played them against each other
- #Feurgard -- mutual friend and go-between