French Artist. She is remembered as being one of the successful female painters following the French Revolution. Born Marie-Francoise-Constance Mayer-La Martiniere, her father was a French government official. After the Revolution, she became rather successful as a painter, displaying her work at annual exhibitions. In 1801 she worked in Jacques-Louis David's studio where she developed a direct and simple style under his instruction. In 1802 she became a student of French painter Pierre-Paul Prud'hon. After Prud'hon's wife was committed to an insane asylum the following year, she became his housekeeper and mistress, and helped raise his five children. While working as Prud'hon's assistant, he usually received the credit for the paintings no matter who actually painted them, making it difficult to distinguish between who actually did the artwork. He generally contributed the early drawings and sketches and she would make the paintings with his assistance. As a result, many of her early artworks were never credited to her. For their first exhibition in 1804, he produced over 12 sketches of paintings and she painted them, and finally gained some credit for her work as she displayed them under her name. In 1806 she was commissioned by Empress Josephine to paint "The Sleep of Venus and Cupid Disturbed by Zephyrs", which she exhibited that year. She then began painting in the abstract style and trained under artists Joseph-Benoit Suvee and Jean-Baptiste Greuze. Her other notable works include "The Portrait of the Lady with Her Father" (1801), "The Happy Mother" (circa 1810), "The Dream of Happiness' (1819), and "Portrait of Sophie Fanny Lordon" (1820). Following the death of Prud'hon's wife, she expected him to marry her and when he refused, she became despondent and committed suicide at the age of 47. Ironically, when Purd'hon died two years later, he was interred next to her.