Brief Biography-Henri Fantin-Latour, the portraitist and painter of flowers, was born in Grenoble in 1836. His father, Jean-Théodore, an artist, tutored Henri in his youth. He enrolled in the Petite École de Dessin in Paris in 1850. In 1854, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts for a short period and worked under Gustave Courbet. He spent most of his time copying the tasks of the old masters in the Louvre. He became acquainted with several of the impressionist artists of the time; however, his style remained conformist. James McNeill Whistler introduced him to patrons in London who furthered his career. Later, he concentrated on doing illustrations based on composers’ works, such as Richard Wagner and Schumann. His wife, Victoria Dubourg, was also a painter.