The Life and Identity of Fanny Alaux

Born Françoise Virginie Liégeois on April 17, 1797, the woman who would become known as Fanny Alaux entered the world in the former 2nd arrondissement of Paris, France. Her life was deeply intertwined with the artistic circles of her time. She eventually married the painter Jean Alaux, a union that placed her at the center of a significant family of creators. Through this marriage, she became part of a dynasty of Alaux painters, a lineage that helped establish a lasting presence in the French art scene.

Fanny Alaux was a dedicated practitioner of painting and drawing. Her presence in the professional art world was marked by her participation in the Salons between 1839 and 1841. During these years, she shared her vision with the public, including a notable presentation of six pastel portraits in 1841. Her work reflects a life spent observing the people and fashions of her era, capturing the likenesses of her contemporaries through the delicate medium of pastel.

Notable Works and Portraits

Fanny Alaux found her voice through the delicate medium of pastel, capturing the likenesses of those who moved through her social circles. In 1838, she painted Pauline Laurent, a work that reflects her ability to translate a person's presence onto a surface. This was followed by a 1839 pastel portrait of a woman, a piece that highlights her skill with the soft, powdery texture of the medium. During this same year, she produced a portrait of a woman in a turban, a work that suggests an interest in the varied fashions of the era.

Her hand was equally steady when working with more traditional methods. In 1839, she created a portrait of Madame Frédéric Louis Tattet, though scholars often treat this as a presumed work rather than a confirmed one. As the 1840s began, her output remained consistent. She painted Pierre-Simon Jullien in 1842, and that same year, she completed a portrait of Thermidor Laurent. These portraits show a woman deeply engaged in the quiet, observant task of recording the faces of her contemporaries.

Where to See the Works Today

If you find yourself in Bordeaux, France, you can visit the Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design to find several of her pastel portraits. This collection includes her 1838 portrait of Pauline Laurent and a portrait of a woman from 1839. You can also see her work from 1842 in this same museum, specifically her portraits of Pierre-Simon Jullien and Thermidor Laurent.

Other pieces of her work have traveled much further. In the United States, the French embassy in Washington holds a portrait of Marie-Antoinette-Thérèse, princesse des Asturies. In France, the Musée de l'Histoire de France in Versailles houses a portrait of Pierre-Antoine-Victor de Lanneau de Marey, which was commissioned by Louis-Philippe for the historical museum there in 1840.