biography of Henrietta (Laure) FIELD (c.1813-1875)

Birth place: Paris

Addresses: NYC, from 1851

Profession: Pastelist

Exhibited: NAD, 1858, 1861, 1862 (crayon portraits)

Comments: Born Henriette Des Portes. While working as a governess and painting teacher for the Praslin household in France, she became involved in the then famous Choiseul-Praslin tragedy (1847), in which the Duchesse de Praslin was murdered. Cleared of any wrongdoing, Des Portes moved to America soon after, and in 1851 married the noted clergyman and author Henry Martyn Field. Her life formed the basis of a popular novel written by Rachel Field, All This and Heaven Too (pub. 1938, later turned into a movie). Her name also appears as Henrietta Desportes.

Sources: G&W; DAB (under Henry Martyn Field; her Christian name is there given as Laure Desportes); Cowdrey, NAD; Naylor, NAD; Petteys, Dictionary of Women Artists.

Legals