Joséphine Fesser French 1819-1891

Collection Erven Fesser

Kunsthandel Gebr. Douwes, Amsterdam, inv.no. GD 9161

Joséphine Fesser met Johan Barthold Jongkind in 1860 at his dealer Martin in Paris. She would become the great love of his life, supporting him in his battle against alcohol and depression. Jongkind once wrote her: "J'ai conçu pour vous un amour si grand...; c´était pour moi, comme si père et mère venaient tous deux à ma rencontre."

Herself an accomplished painter, she exhibited at the Salon des Refusés in 1863. She and Jongkind travelled France extensively, working side by side in the Nivernais and Dauphiné regions. Fesser has been known to produce watercolours that were afterwards executed in oil by Jongkind. Their close proximity explains his huge influence in Fessers work. Both artists passed away in 1891 and were buried side by side in the village La Côte St. André in their beloved Dauphiné.