Memoirs of Madame Vigée Lebrun
Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
Read by James K. White
This memoirs chronicles Madame Vigée Lebrun's childhood and the early discovery of her talent, the fortuitous break that introduced her to the world of "portraiture of the stars," her expeditious flight from France at the height of the French Revolution, her continued success as a portraitist for the various royal houses of Europe, and her ultimate return to France. In this memoirs, Lebrun illustrates how she overcame the prejudices of the art world that prescribed how women painters could practice their art form, as well as the subject matter they could paint. (James K. White) (7 hr 22 min)
Chapters
| Prefatory Note & Chp. I: Youth | 27:05 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. II: Up the Ladder of Fame | 33:56 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. III: Work and Pleasure | 32:18 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. IV: Exile | 33:14 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. V: Neopolitan Days | 21:56 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. VI: Turin and Viena | 17:32 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. VII: Saint Petersburg | 27:32 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. VIII: Life in Russia | 28:24 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. IX: Catherine II. | 20:43 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. X: The Emperor Paul | 24:40 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. XI: Family Affairs | 23:04 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. XII: Moscow | 25:33 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. XIII: Good-by to Russia | 20:10 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. XIV: Homeward Bound | 18:42 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. XV: Old Friends and New | 18:46 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. XVI: Unmerry England | 20:41 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. XVII: Persons and Places in Britain | 16:33 | Read by James K. White |
| Chp. XVIII: Bonapartes and Bourbons | 31:12 | Read by James K. White |
Reviews
Very Interesting Memoir but...
Brenda H. Nelson
The book itself is fascinating. However, the reader mispronounces the author's last name. He says it as if it were spelled, Le Bron...but not even quite that. He doesnt employ the gutteral rolling of the R. Sometimes he even pronounces the n..and he stretches out the "un" ( which he pronounces as "on") and emphasises it whereas, correctly pronounced the syllable is clipped. LeBrun is correctly pronounced in a more nasal fashion and almost as something between or among "ahn", "ohn" and "unh". There are a few other French words he mispronounces as well (quay)...as well as some english words. But his voice is pleasing and he uses it well, in terms of modulation.
A storied life of a woman who painted royalty as she traveled.
TLocke
I enjoyed the book much more than I thought I would. I was aware of the artist did not realize how far and wide she traveled in order to fulfill her dreams. The reader was excellent..