Rosa Bonheur was born on this day in 1822 in Bordeaux, France. Her early artistic education was facilitated by her father, a minor landscape painter. Bonheur's reputation as an animal painter and sculptor grew into the 1840s, her works exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon from 1841 to 1853. Scholars believe an 1849 exhibition of “Plowing in Nivernais,” a government commission that is now housed in France’s Musée Nationale du Château de Fontainebleau. In 1853, Bonheur garnered international acclaim with her painting “The Horse Fair,” which depicted the horse market held in Paris. The French Empress Eugénie awarded Bonheur the Legion of Honor—one of the nation’s most prestigious awards, in 1865.