Lilla Cabot Perry began her artistic career later in life, following her marriage and the births of her three daughters. Perry and her family lived in Paris from 1887 to 1889, where she enrolled at the Académie Colarossi and studied paintings at the Louvre. She later enrolled in the Académie Julian, and in 1889 two of her portraits were accepted by the Salon des Indépendants. An admirer of Monet’s work, Perry spent several summers in Giverny, where Monet advised her on Impressionist techniques. After she returned to the United States, Perry played a key role in promoting Impressionist painting.

A fully illustrated catalogue, Women Artists in Paris, 1850–1900, has been published by the American Federation of Arts and Yale University Press. Along with an art-historical overview by curator Laurence Madeline, the catalogue includes essays by Jane R. Becker, collections management associate, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Richard Kendall, former curator at large, Clark Art Institute; Bridget Alsdorf, associate professor, History of Art, Princeton University; and Vibeke Hansen, curator, Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo.