Bonheur, Rosa

(born March 16, 1822, Bordeaux, France—died May 25, 1899, Melun) French animal painter. She was trained by her father, an art teacher, and began exhibiting regularly at the Paris Salon in 1841. Her unsentimental paintings of lions, tigers, horses, and other animals became very popular; The Horse Fair (1853) gained her an international reputation. A colourful personality, she dressed as a man to study horses at the actual Horse Fair in Paris, receiving formal permission from the police to do so. In 1865 she became the first woman to receive the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour.

Find more information on Bonheur, Rosa. Upgrade to Britannica Online for more on Bonheur, Rosa.