Childhood: Her upbringing, in the semi-rural outskirts of Paris, was very liberal and bohemian for the era in which she was living. Her parents, both artists, educated her and her sister Juliette themselves to ensure that they had the same level of schooling as their brothers Auguste and Isadore. Being female, Rosa's father, Raymond Bonheur, was the only person who would have been able to teach her how to paint at this time, and she remembered this for the rest of her life, often commenting about how much she owed to him. He encouraged her to view the works of famous painters in the Louvre, and copy them (works with which she contributed to the family income). She also spent a lot of time in the small family farm and parks around Paris, sketching the animals.
Her talent was quickly recognised, and in 1841, while still in her adolescence, she began to exhibit in official salons.

Work: Unlike most women of her era, Bonheur went on to earn living for herself with her talent, winning awards and becoming hugely popular with the art enthusiasts of nineteenth century Paris.
Her work was very traditional and conservative in style, despite her unconventional upbringing and the massive impact that new movements such as Impressionism were having on Paris at this time. Bonheur's painting showed that there was still room for Realism in modern art. She was a strict believer in the value of direct observation, in order to reproduce perfect detail. She would study the same subjects repeatedly before committing paint to canvas for the final piece.
Her most famous piece, 'The Horse Fair' was produced in 1853 and led on to one of the most highly regarded honours France had to bestow - and previously had only awarded to men - the cross of the Legion d'Honneur. She was presented with it by the wife of Napoloean III, Empress Eugenie, in June 1865. Eugenie is said to have chosen Bonheur because, as she said, "Genius has no sex."
After this historic achievement, Bonheur shyed away from the limelight and lived a quiet life on her estate near the Forest of Fontainebleau. She continued to paint and cast bronze sculptures of animals until her death in 1899.

Friends & Relationships: Bonheur was, unusually for that period in history, almost outwardly gay. She even had a special license to wear men's clothes.
Bonheur met her life long companion Nathalie Micas (shown here on the left, with Bonheur) when she was 14. Micas went on to be become an inventor. The two were to settle in Bordeaux together, with their extensive menagerie, until Micas' death in 1889.
After this, Bonheur found comfort and solice in her relationship with the American painter Anna Klumpke, who outlived Bonheur by 40 years. Klumpke was always described by Bonheur as her wife. After Klumpke's death in 1942, she was cremated and her ashes buried together with Bonheur and Micas' ashes in Père Lachaise Cemetary in Paris.

Greatest Achievements: As well as her place in the Legion d'Honneur, Bonheur is remembered for being an outspoken feminist, and gaining female painters more equal status. Her nonconformity was outrageous for 19th-century Paris but, because she was so successful and independently wealthy, she forced many to reconsider the "role" of women artists.
A museum has been built to her work and memory in Fontainebleu.

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