Born in 1867 as the sole offspring of a modest manufacturer, Sophie grew up in Nogent-sur-Marne, a town near Paris. Raised in the Catholic faith, she spent her formative years at a convent in Aubervilliers. During her childhood, while accompanying her father on his errands, she crossed paths with Madeleine Smith, forging a friendship that would span her lifetime. Madeleine hailed from an aristocratic family residing in a chateau in Nogent and was raised alongside her sister Jeanne by their widowed mother. This bond sparked Sophie’s keen interest in collecting and pressing plants, as well as in the realms of drawing and painting. In the ensuing decade, she nurtured these interests, all while meticulously documenting her passionate yet concealed relationship with Florence Hasard, a much younger model she encountered during this remarkably productive period.
Amid the backdrop of World War I, Florence, her then-lover, chose to work as a nurse in the military hospital established by Madeleine and her sister within their chateau. By war’s end, Florence severed her ties with Sophie, relocating to Paris, leaving no trace behind.
Sophie continued to reside in the modest house inherited from her parents, embracing an unassuming and secluded lifestyle. In 1946, she transitioned to an artists’ retirement home in Nogent, established by the estate of Jeanne and Madeleine Smith to support struggling artists. In 1948, at the age of 81, Sophie passed away.
SOPHIE’S LEGACY
Sophie’s artistic legacy comprises 292 paintings, drawings, sketches, and a few plaster works. Initially regarded as amateurish, akin to the quality of a casual Sunday painter, her works underwent a transformation with the discovery of two pieces in the storage rooms of the retirement home. This finding prompted an extensive inquiry into a particular phase of her output: the “black paintings,” characterized by a layer of black beeswax encaustic beneath which oil paintings were uncovered. These paintings, which coincide with the period ending alongside World War I, garnered attention for their enigmatic iconography. X-ray analysis revealed original, vibrant-colored oil paintings beneath the surface, evading any straightforward classification in relation to the creations of her more renowned contemporaries.