Merry Joseph Blondel
French, 1781 ‑ 1853
Portrait of Madame Houbigant, born Nicole Adéläide Deschamps, about 1807
Oil on canvas
41 3/4 × 33 × 3/4 in. (106 × 83.8 × 1.9 cm.)
51 3/8 x 42 3/8 x 3 7/8 in. (130.5 x 107.6 x 9.8 cm.) (frame)
Gift of Mrs. Hattie Bishop Speed, by exchange  1993.17

Perfume Heiress
Madame Houbigant’s high-waisted dress, the Grecian chair, and the scrollwork on the wall reflect the popularity of Classical design, inspired by contemporary archaeological discoveries. Her ostrich feather cap and red Kashmir shawl (an Indian import that Napoleon and his officers brought back from their Egyptian campaign) were the height of fashion in 1807. The book she holds, and those beside her, attest to her education and intellectual pursuits. The subject of this portrait was the wife and business partner of Jean-Francois Houbigant. The renowned perfume house he founded in 1775 remains active today.