She also had the honor of having one of her paintings purchased by the French government and included in the Luxembourg Museum's permanent collection.

[2][4] Nourse's style was described by Los Angeles critic Henry J. Seldis as a "forerunner of social realist painting.

In 1887, she moved to Paris, France along with her older sister, Louise, who was to be her lifelong companion, business manager, housekeeper and hostess.

[6] Already having advanced skill when she arrived and having developed her style while in Cincinnati, she quickly finished with her studies and opened her own studio.

Though continuing to live and work mainly in Paris, Nourse travelled extensively around Europe, Russia, and North Africa painting the people she met.

[8] Hale, Nourse, and Coffin "created compelling self-portraits in which they fearlessly presented themselves as individuals willing to flout social codes and challenge accepted ideas regarding women's place in society.