Portrait of Rosa Bonheur (detail) 1898 by Anna Klumpke(1856-1942) Rosa Bonheur is a rare example of a woman painter independent and successful enough to live by her own earnings in 19th Century France. She was so commercially successful, especially in the U.S. and Britain, that by the age of 38 she had bought herself a château on the edge of Fontainebleau forest and moved into it with her life-long devoted friend Nathalie Micas and Nathalie's mother, who supervised the practical side of living. Their domaine was baptised "Domaine de la parfaite amitié" (Domain of perfect friendship) Rosa Bonheur and Nathalie Micas Le Marché aux Chevaux (the Horse Fair) 1855 The painting which made a star of Rosa Bonheur in 1855 was "The Horse Fair". It is now in the New York Met, and is too big to be moved, but the exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay has a smaller version sent by the National Gallery, London. This smaller picture was made to allow engravings to be made in order...