Rosa Bonheur Living Art Books
Rosa Bonheur Picture Study Aid and Art Prints
This 29-page Rosa Bonheur Picture Study Aid includes a summary of the life of the French Romantic painter Rosa Bonehur (1822-1899), a synopsis of seven of her works, a separate file with printable versions of the pieces covered (or professional prints are also available), and a brief discussion about Charlotte Mason’s ideas and methods for implementing picture study.
Rosa Bonheur led a very unconventional life for a 19th-century woman, and many books have made assumptions about her sexuality based on her lifestyle choices. These assumptions are often included in the books about her, sometimes subtly and sometimes obviously. As I mentioned on the main Living Art Book Archive page, please pre-read these books to be sure they align with your family’s values.
Rosa Bonheur: A Life and a Legend
By Dore Ashton
A biography that is also helpful as a reference resource.
Rosa Bonheur: The Artist’s (Auto)Biography
By Anna Klumpke
This was written by Rosa’s companion and fellow artist, Anna Klumpke, and contains a wealth of information about her life, as well as background details about many of her paintings. It is very helpful as a reference resource.
Rosa’s Animals: The Story of Rosa Bonheur and Her Painting Menagerie
By Maryann Macdonald
“Painter and sculptor Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899) led a highly nontraditional life, especially for a woman in the 19th century. She kept lions as pets, was awarded the Legion of Honor by Empress Eugénie, and befriended ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody. She became a painter at a time when women were often only reluctantly educated as artists. Her unconventional artistic work habits, including visiting slaughterhouses to sketch an animal’s anatomy and wearing men’s clothing to gain access to places like a horse fair, where women were not allowed, helped her become one of the most beloved female painters of her time.” Ages 8-12.
Rosa Bonheur: Her life
By Catherine O. Peare
A shorter chapter biography for elementary-aged students. Ages 8-10.
No Horses in the House!: The Audacious Life of Artist Rosa Bonheur
By Mireille Messier
“Rosa Bonheur loved to draw animals. She was good at it too! Unfortunately, in nineteenth-century France, girls were not allowed to be artists. But Rosa didn’t let that stop her. In this fictionalized account of her early life in Paris, Rosa studies art at home, bringing a menagerie of animals into the apartment to study up close. When she is kicked out of the horse market for sneaking in wearing boys clothing, Rosa must think creatively to challenge the rules in pursuit of her dream of becoming a world-class realist painter and artist.” Ages 6-8.