Paris was the 'capital of the 19th century', a vibrant, changing metropolis. Its combination of old and new, its speed and sophistication, and the sense that art was everywhere captivated artists and students of all nationalities, Americans above all.
The Louvre offered an unparalleled experience of art from different ages and countries. It was a magnet for all art students, who studied the lessons of the art of the past, copied works there, and made contacts with fellow students.
The annual Paris Salon was the largest exhibition of contemporary art in the world. Each year, thousands of paintings and sculptures jostled for space in the halls of the Palais de l'Industrie, and it was here that reputations were made.
A network of studios offered tuition in art, ranging from the very structured system at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts to opportunities to draw and paint from a life model with little or no support from a teacher.
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Main image: Detail from John Singer Sargent, 'Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)'. © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1916
Detail: Detail from Willard Leroy Metcalf, 'In the Café (Au Café)', 1888. © Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois.
Daniel J. Terra Collection, 1992.
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