The Google Doodle celebrated Rosa Bonheur’s 200th birthday and fans want to know her wife Nathalie Micas.
Rosa Bonheur was a French artist, especially a painter of animals and also a sculptor in a realist style.
Rosa’s most famous paintings were Ploughing in the Nivernais, first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1848, and now at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
Her oil painting, The Horse Fair was exhibited at the Salon of 1853 and is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City.
She was one of the most famous female painters of the nineteenth century.
Google Doodle: Who Was Rosa Bonheur Wife Nathalie Micas?
As Google Doodle celebrated Rosa Bonheur’s birthday, people are interested to know about her wife Nathalie Micas. Rosa was open about her sexual orientation and her lesbian relationship.
Nathalie Mica’s full name Jeanne Sarah Nathalie Micas was also a French painter like Rosa. They lived together for more than 40 years until Nathalie passed away in 1889.
Nathalie painted many paintings such as Roosters and chickens in a landscape and Hares with Leverets. They met while they were working and fell in love with each other and their passion for painting.
Unfortunately, Nathalie passed away leaving her only the sweet memories of their good times. Her cause of death is yet to be explored.
In that era, lesbian sexual encounters were regarded as animalistic and deranged by most French officials.
Her outspoken nature about her personal life was groundbreaking for many young girls going through the same situation.
Explore Rosa Bonheur Relationship With Painter Anna Elizabeth Klumpke
Rosa Bonheur began a relationship with Anna Elizabeth Klumpke after her ex died. Anna was also a talented painter herself.
Anna was an American portrait and genre painter. She is known for her portraits of famous women including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her partner Rosa Bonheur.
Being born in San Francisco, California, the United States, Rosa’s partner Anna belonged to a wealthy family.
Anna won many prestigious awards and honors like the first prize in Académie Julian in Paris, France, honorable mention in Paris Salon, Silver medal, Medal of French Gratitude, and many more.
Anna was also the first woman ever to receive the Temple Gold Medal, for the painting In the Wash-House, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Their relationship ended when Rosa died in 1899.
Was Rosa Bonheur Gay?
Rosa Bonheur was openly gay. Although the liking of same-sex orientation was frowned upon at that time, she mainly wore trousers, shirts, and ties to break boundaries.
She did not wear man’s clothes as she wanted to be a man. She wore it as it gave her a sense of identity allowed her to openly show that she refused to bend down to societies’ ruthless behavior toward women.
However, Rosa never explicitly said she was a lesbian, but her lifestyle and the way she talked about her female partners suggested these notions.