Born on 18 March 1833 in
Nogent-le-Rotrou as
Claire Pauline Filleul, she was the daughter of the lawyer François Adrien Filleul and Pauline de Pétigny de Rivery, who came from a noble
Picard family. She then studied drawing, painting and
lithography under
Raymond Auguste Monvoisin and exhibited her first painting at the Paris
Salon of 1842. From 1842, she accompanied Monvoisin on journeys to South America for stays in Peru, Chile and Brazil. She also taught art in Santiago and was awarded a medal for her portraits. On returning to France in 1860, she again exhibited at the Salon. While her pastel paintings of baskets of fruit were highly acclaimed, she also created portraits in oils and gave painting lessons. Several of her books were reprinted, including
Récits au coin du feu and
La Palestine. Clara Filleul died in Paris on 7 August 1878 but was buried in Nogent-le-Rotrou. ==References==