Leopolda Gassó y Vidal

Leopolda Gassó y Vidal (1849–1885) was a 19th-century Spanish writer, painter, essayist, and women's rights activist. Fluent in French and Italian, she was also a translator.

Early life and education Leopolda Gassó y Vidal was born in Quintanar de la Orden, Province of Toledo, on 5 November 1849, although some sources indicate 1848 or 1851. She was the only child of the marriage between the Catalan physician Joaquín Gassó and his wife Dionisia Vidal. Her family was wealthy and held liberal and progressive views.

Shortly after Leopolda's birth, her family moved to Toledo, where she would spend her entire childhood and most of her adolescence. At just eight years of age, she demonstrated a talent for painting, captivating her parents, who decided to support her in pursuing her passion. As a student of the painters Manuel Martínez Ferrer and Isidoro Lozano,

Career Front page of the illustrated newspaper , Mexico, November 15, 1885. Bodegón (Still life). Madrid, 1879. Oil on canvas, 85 x 61.5 cm. However, before moving to the Spanish capital, Gasso remained in Toledo, captivated by its beauty and going out to sketch from life with one of her friends. In fact, such was the affront and rejection of women painting or studying that they had to pose as French tourists (as a synonym for foreigners) to avoid being noticed. Toledo would become the city that would capture all of Gasso's attention, both in her writings and paintings, as well as in her thinking, thus shaping her personal and artistic evolution.

In Madrid, she began writing articles for magazines aimed at a predominantly female audience. She contributed to El Oriente de Asturias in Llanes, the Almanaque de El Orden, La Ilustración Española y Americana, and even the Boletín-Revista del Ateneo de Valencia. Through these writings, she met many women who shared her intellectual leanings and concerns. With these friendships, she initiated discussions about equal rights for women, becoming a pioneer in Spain. It wasn't until the 1880s that she met Concepción Gimeno de Flaquer, who would become her close friend. Together, they co-founded a newspaper called La Ilustración de la Mujer on 1 March 1873. Gasso is known to have traveled throughout Spain and Europe, also working as a translator, as she was fluent in French and Italian, translating French poems, including those by George Sand. In addition, she assisted several secular philanthropic organizations and supported the creation of the Asociación para la Enseñanza de la Mujer.

Gasso's mother, Dionisia, and her best friend Concepción compiled Gasso's articles and publications, creating the anthology Colección de sus trabajos literarios (Collection of her literary works), which was published posthumously. It includes everything Leopolda Gassó y Vidal published, and also contains a prologue by Concepción Gimeno de Flaquer.

Expositions Leonese Exhibition of 1876: She presented Portrait of Lucas Aguirre y Juárez, which she donated to the Society of Writers and Artists, and "Landscape of Asturias," which was sold in 1881. National Exhibition of Fine Arts of 1876: She exhibited the panel paintings Pensioner and A Beggar, the study for Landscape, and the canvas Portrait of Miss M.J. National Exhibition of Fine Arts of 1878: She exhibited Acileses Vendors, Petiraetre, and A Landscape. Madrid Arts Promotion Exhibition of 1881: She displayed Disordered Table and Still Life, earning an honorable mention. Valencia Regional Exhibition of 1883: She showed Two Small Paintings and Charcoal Portrait.