The illustrated monograph

An essay of nearly 10,000 words on Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun — the prodigy of the hairdressers' street, the Queen's painter, the night of 5 October 1789, the twelve years of triumphant exile from Rome to Saint Petersburg — followed by the complete catalogue of the 244 works with an image recorded by Wikidata: 230 paintings, 11 pastels and works on paper, 3 rejected attributions, each illustrated and given a commentary — over 35,000 words of commentary. Its pages, listed below, read like any other page of the site — click any image to enlarge it, arrow keys ← → to navigate. The catalogue is served in seven pages so each loads smoothly.

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Self-portrait in a Straw Hat (1781–1782 version), Kimbell Art Museum — Wikimedia Commons. — Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, *Self-portrait in a Straw Hat* (1781–1782 version), Kimbell Art Museum — Wikimedia Commons.

Key facts

The essay: ≈ 9,800 words in 7 pages: the beginnings, the Queen, the Académie, the flight, Russia, exile, the critics
The catalogue: 244 works in 7 pages — the paintings (6 pages), then pastels and works on paper
The commentaries: ≈ 35,600 words — provenance chains, Salons, sitter identifications, attribution debates
Language: English — the rest of the site is bilingual
Sources: Wikidata (works, dates, collections, dimensions); images from Wikimedia Commons (internet connection required)

The essay, in seven pages

The split follows the essay's chapters — no section is cut
Page	Chapters
Essay · The beginnings	Prologue — I. The hairdresser's street — II. The marriage and the house of pictures
Essay · The Queen's painter	III. The Queen's painter, 1778–1789 — IV. A Greek supper — V. The manner
Essay · The Académie and the gallery	VI. The Académie question — VII. The gallery of the 1780s — VIII. The self-portraits, and Julie
Essay · The flight and Russia	IX. The night of 5 October 1789 — X. Russia, 1795–1801
Essay · Exile in portraits	XI. The costumed portrait — XII. The economy of exile — XIII. London, Switzerland, the Restoration
Essay · Criticism and dispersal	XIV. Criticism and reception — XV. Where the pictures went
Essay · Four pictures, closely	XVI. Four pictures, closely — XVII. How to look — Coda

The catalogue, in seven pages

Order is chronological within each section
Page	Works	Section
Catalogue · 1773–1782	39	The paintings
Catalogue · 1782–1786	39	The paintings
Catalogue · 1786–1790	39	The paintings
Catalogue · 1790–1794	39	The paintings
Catalogue · 1794–1800	39	The paintings
Catalogue · 1800–1835	35	The paintings
On paper · 1771–1796	14	Pastels and works on paper; rejected attributions

The site's interactive base remains available offline.