"I don't ever think there has ever been a man who treated a woman as an equal, and that's all I would have asked for, for I know I'm worth as much as they". Berthe Morisot (from Clement, Houze, Erbolato-Ramsey; The Women Impressionists, preface p 1)

In the following two pictures see two women artists.

In Portrait of Sister as Artist we see Jeanne Gonzales, Eva Gonzales' sister.  Although Eva achieved renown among the Impressionists, very little is known about her sister's work.  Perhaps she desisted when she ran against the obstacles of being a woman artist at the time.  Perhaps she never dared exhibit at the Salon.  Although we see her half lit in the painting, we do not see her work. This is more a portrait of a woman rather than a celebration of the artist and her work.  Eva Gonzales (1849-83), who is considered one of the four major women Impressionists painters (Bracquemond, Cassatt, Gonzales, Morisot) died at the age of 34 from complications in childbirth.

Here we see a portrait by Degas of Mary Cassatt, who was a true professional artist. She not only studied with masters all over Europe (despite the fact that women at the time were not being allowed into the Academy), but exhibited at the Salon, and then chose to break away and join the Impressionists. In this portrait of Cassat by Degas, we see nothing that would give us a clue that Cassatt is an artist. On the other hand, Degas' portraits of his painter friend Tissot show him at his studio, surrounded by his paintings. In a portrait of the writer and critic Duranty, Degas shows a library of books behind him. Cassatt herself was not particularly fond of this portrait and requested that the agent who was selling it for her not mention it was her portrait.

It is perhaps ironic that we see a portrait of a great artist holding what could be cards or small photographs, rather than surrounded by her paintings. On the other hand, the portrait of Jeanne Gonzales is a document of a woman at an easel whose art was never recognized.