Madeleine Lemaire (1845–1928)
Madeleine Lemaire was a French painter and salonnière, renowned particularly for her floral compositions and her influential role in the cultural life of Belle Époque Paris. Born in Les Arcs in southern France, she studied art in Paris under Madame Herbelin and Charles Chaplin. She made her debut at the Paris Salon in 1864 and exhibited throughout her career, gaining particular recognition for her watercolours and oil paintings of flowers.
Lemaire hosted a salon in Paris, first on the rue de Monceau and later on boulevard Haussmann. Her gatherings were well known as meeting places for lovers of literature, music, and the arts, attracting visitors such as Marcel Proust and the composer Reynaldo Hahn. She was strong-willed, socially ambitious, and scrutinised her guests mercilessly, removing unpleasant or dull company from her salon without much explanation.
Lemaire acted as a mentor to Proust, opening doors for him in Parisian social circles. She also illustrated his early work Les Plaisirs et les Jours, reflecting their close collaboration.
Sources:
Lettres, p.1239.
Masson, Géraldine, « Madeleine Lemaire (Jeanne Magdelaine Lemaire, dite) ». Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions, 2021.
Proulx F., ‘“Irregular” kin: Madeleine Lemaire and Reynaldo Hahn in Les Plaisirs et les Jours’”. In: McDonald C, Proulx F, eds. Proust and the Arts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015:232-251.
Tadié 2000, pp.153-156,161,183-184,219.
Painter 1971, Vol. I, pp.105–106,230.
Femmes peintres et salons au temps de Proust de Madeleine Lemaire à Berthe Morisot, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 2010. 26 Bury Street, London SW1Y 6AL.
Above: Portrait of Madeleine Lemaire, part of the Félix Potin collection, ca. 1885. Wikimedia Commons. Digitally colourised print. Public Domain.