Around 1795 the Parisian Marie-Guillemine Benoist – born on December 18, 1768 – abandoned the classical subjects for a genre painting and moved away from the influence of David, continuing to exhibit successfully. In the Salon of 1800, this female portrait appeared – of her which consecrated her as a painter of fame. The painting, made only six years after the abolition of slavery, is considered a “manifesto” of racial and gender emancipation. The painting was then purchased by the state in 1818 and is now preserved in the Louvre Museum.