Born in Ukraine, Marie Bashkirtseff grew up in Nice and Paris. She studied at the Académie Julian in Paris and subsequently exhibited her work frequently. Concurrent with painting this portrait of her sister-inlaw, she played an active role in the French women’s movement. Bashkirtseff was only 25 when she died of tuberculosis. The intimate diaries she kept since the age of 12 propelled her to fame as a writer as well.