Cecilia Beaux

This c. 1885 self-portrait of Cecilia Beaux hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

"Cecilia Beaux's self-portrait projects a well-placed self-confidence. Aware of the challenges facing her as a woman, she declared: 'When I attempt anything, I have a passionate determination to overcome every obstacle.' The first woman hired to teach at the renowned Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Beaux became one of the most admired portraitists of her generation. Heralded by fellow American artist William Merritt Chase as 'the best woman artist who ever lived,' Beaux enjoyed numerous accolades. She received a gold medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for lifetime achievement, and she was one of the first Americans invited to contribute a self-portrait to the Uffizi collection in Florence. Although Beaux trained in France and showed her work internationally, her permanent residence remained in the United States, where she painted friends, family members, and numerous luminaries." -- National Portrait Gallery