Sacred Parallelogram
Rosemary Hill | London Review of Books | 23rd April 2026
Two biographies detail why art history records so few female painters. Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun and Maria Cosway, born in the mid eighteenth century, were both regarded as child prodigies. Access to the art world depended on family connections and money. Training opportunities were limited. Marriage was perilous. Cosway’s husband jealously prevented her from selling her work. Le Brun’s husband was more supportive – so he could gamble away the proceeds. Any rational woman would surely just give up.