Marie Toulmouche

Marie Toulmouche, (née Lecadre; 1836–1917) was a French oil painter, water-colourist and pastellist known for her still lifes and floral compositions. She hosted a literary and artistic salon at her residence in La Chapelle-Launay and was a relative of Claude Monet.

The extended Lecadre family living around Le Havre included a number of figures close to the Impressionist Claude Monet, who was Marie's first cousin once removed. Her great-aunt Marie-Jeanne Lecadre, an amateur painter, was an early support in Monet's life and encouraged his work as an artist. Marie's cousin by marriage, Jeanne-Marguerite Lecadre, was the subject of his Woman in the Garden.

Marriage to Auguste Toulmouche

At 25, Lecadre married Auguste Toulmouche, a genre painter from her native Nantes who was already established in the French art world. The marriage took place in the couple's home town on 3 December 1861, with witnesses including the politician René Waldeck-Rousseau. Marie's profession is listed as propriétaire, or property owner, on their marriage certificate.

The couple settled in Paris, establishing their studio at 70 bis rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, near the centre of Montparnasse. The property there, which consisted of seven ground-floor workshops and a number of glass-covered walkways, belonged to Auguste's father and was known as the Boîte à Thé (Tea Box), as its exterior was decorated with Chinese ornaments.

During Lecadre-Toulmouche's time at the Boîte à Thé, the complex was a meeting place for artists, writers and intellectuals. Their studio neighbours, who included Gérôme, Schutzenberger, Lauwick, and Brion, hosted regular gatherings attended by a wide range of contemporaries including George Sand and Théophile Gauthier. At their various studios, Lecadre-Toulmouche produced works in pastels, watercolours, and oils, and also posed as a model for her husband on a number of occasions.

The Blanche-Couronne estate

After their marriage, the couple frequently spent time at the Blanche‑Couronne estate, a former Benedictine abbey situated in the countryside near Nantes. Originally purchased by Marie's father in the spring of 1841, the estate in La Chapelle-Launey became the Lecadres’ country residence. After her father's death, Marie and her two brothers, Jacques‑Edmond‑Marie Lecadre and Alphonse‑Eugène Lecadre, inherited the property, with Marie becoming its sole owner on August 26, 1871.

The couple refurbished Blanche-Couronne, installing a studio and inviting friends from the Boîte à Thé and elsewhere. The property became the site of an artistic salon led by Marie Lecadre-Toulmouche, hosting figures such as the painters Jules-Élie Delaunay and Auguste Renoir, and the poets Marie de Heredia, José-Maria de Heredia and Henri de Régnier.

In a letter to Leconte de Lisle, José Maria de Heredia described the atmosphere of the Blanche-Couronne estate:

Several writers who stayed at Blanche-Couronne later drew on it as a model for settings in their literary works. The residence is also closely associated with Élie Delaunay's Portrait of Mme Marie Toulmouche, which features the façade of the abbey.

Portrait by Élie Delaunay Marie Toulmouche by Jules-Élie Delaunay. Toulmouche's residence Blanche-Couronne is visible in the background. The painter Delaunay was among the artists who frequented Lecadre‑Toulmouche's salon, first arriving in the early 1870s. In addition to decorating the dining room of Blanche-Couronne with frescoes representing the four seasons, Delaunay produced a number of works at the residence, including his 1884 portrait of Marie Lecadre‑Toulmouche. Her painting Jacinthes received honourable mention at the 1892 Salon.

Her works include:

Apples / Pommes d'api (1886) Autumn Violets, pastel / Violettes d'automne (1888) Basket of Flowers / Pannier de fleurs (1888) Fresh Produce / Primeurs (1888) Bramble Flowers / Fleurs de Ronce (1890) Spring / Printemps (1890)