Renowned internationally during her lifetime for her unconventional approach to Orientalism, Henriette Browne specialized in genre scenes that represented the Near East in a less sensationalized, albeit still exotic, manner than her contemporaries.

[1] Sophie's mother was widowed at a young age prior to becoming the Comtesse de Bouteiller, and for a time gave music lesson to support herself and her son from this previous marriage.

For this reason, the Countess encouraged Sophie to pursue an education in the arts from a young age: in the event that she have the need to economically sustain herself.

In 1849, Sophie decided to pursue more serious study in drawing by becoming a pupil of Monsieur Emile Perrin, who later became the director of Theater-Francais.

Here she had the opportunity to study from live models, gaining indispensable knowledge on the depiction of body proportions and movements.

In 1853, under her newly chosen pseudonym, Browne submitted her first work to the Paris Salon, where she exhibited regularly until 1878, the year before her husband's death.

[4] Henriette Browne married Monsieur Henry Jules de Saux, a French diplomat and secretary of Count Walewski, in 1853.

[5] Browne accompanied her husband on the many trips that his job required, traveling extensively to places such as Italy, Holland and Constantinople.

[2] By 1879 Browne had largely given up exhibiting, and could look back upon a productive career as an internationally sought genre and Orientalist artist.

Today, her paintings offer an intervention into the type of 19th century Orientalism that largely catered to and reaffirmed the status of the dominating male gaze.

The visitor was immediately able to discern that her Parisian studio was adorned with a level of taste and luxury that did not equate to the sale of her artworks, which at that time were selling for around 500 francs.

[2] As opposed to Rosa Bonheur, Browne was viewed as a model of femininity and her paintings as expressions of womanly virtue.

[2] One review of her work in Woman's English Journal stated “she observes, combines, and reproduces…every detail is copied from Nature”.

[8] Henriette Browne exhibited numerous Orientalist paintings in the 1860s, and during this period, enjoyed a time of travel and success.

[9] During these travels, which were enabled by diplomatic and royal connections, Browne focused her art on more Eastern subjects, especially school scenes.

She does not objectify the women, but rather presents a calm and controlled domestic space, excluded men from the scenes, and painted with a more subdued color palette (Inge 13).

Browne's greatest contribution was that she debunked cultural and sexual myths about the harem as she desexualized and domesticated the site.

[9] Browne's paintings were uncontroversial in terms of style and were truthful representations of female community that broke with male Orientalist tradition.

Her work fetched high prices and attracted influential patrons such as Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie in the 1850s.

[13] Browne's early genre scenes of nuns and children were exceedingly popular in Britain despite the widespread anti-Romanism at the time.

After its success at the Paris Salon of 1859, her painting Les Soeurs de Charité was shown in London, where it was identified as a masterpiece.

The English liked the painting especially for its strong moral message;[12] it showed extreme pathos and sentiment, which allowed the viewer to feel sympathetic as these nuns care for a child.

After these two paintings, she continued to produce Orientalist subjects of children, schools, scholars, and individuals of Oriental society.