How to succeed in the arts without being a man?

Manual para artistas mulheres do século XIX

Abstract

This article proposes a set of advice for women artists of the past to be recognized in life and organize the posthumous preservation of their  names and their works, with a view to inscribing them in history. We are inspired by research on the population of painters, sculptors and recorders active in France in the first half of the nineteenth century and in sociological and historical works on the construction of artistic reputation and the inscription of names in the collective memory. Thus, in a way not devoid of ironic detachment, it is suggested to women artists:  leave with good letters in hand; make good choices; do not waste time in making yourself known; know to sell yourself; and think of posterity.