Alice Hoschedé facts for kids
Alice Raingo Hoschedé Monet (born February 19, 1844 – died May 19, 1911) was an important person in the life of the famous Impressionist painter Claude Monet. She was first married to Ernest Hoschedé, a wealthy art collector. Later, she became Claude Monet's second wife.
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Early Life
Alice Raingo was born in Paris, France, on February 19, 1844. Her birth name was Angélique Émilie Alice Raingo. Her parents were Denis Lucien Alphonse Raingo and Jeanne Coralie Boulade.
Marriage to Ernest Hoschedé
Alice married Ernest Hoschedé, a successful businessman who owned a large department store and collected art. Ernest's mother thought highly of Alice. She described her as intelligent and strong-willed.
Alice and Ernest had six children together:
- Blanche (who later married Claude Monet's son, Jean Monet)
- Germaine
- Suzanne
- Marthe
- Jean-Pierre
- Jacques
Life with the Monet Family
In 1876, Ernest Hoschedé asked Claude Monet to paint some pictures for his home, the Château de Rottembourg. Around this time, Monet and Alice became very close friends.
In 1877, Ernest Hoschedé faced financial problems and went bankrupt. Because of this, Ernest, Alice, and their children moved into a house in Vétheuil with Claude Monet, his first wife Camille, and Monet's two sons, Jean and Michel.
Ernest Hoschedé often traveled to Paris for work, leaving Alice and the children with Monet. When Ernest did visit, Monet would sometimes leave the house. Monet felt very sad when Alice was not around, sometimes having nightmares and finding it hard to paint.
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Later, the Monet and Hoschedé families moved from Vétheuil to Poissy, and then to Giverny. Ernest Hoschedé sometimes did not help pay for Alice and their children's living costs. In 1886, he asked Alice and their children to return to Paris with him, but Alice chose to stay with Monet.
Relationship with Claude Monet
After Camille Monet passed away in 1879, Claude Monet and Alice continued to live together with all their children. They lived first in Poissy and then settled in Giverny. Even though Alice was still married to Ernest Hoschedé at this time, a Paris newspaper called her Monet's "charming wife" in 1880.
Ernest Hoschedé died in 1891. The following year, in 1892, Alice and Claude Monet got married.
Alice came from a well-respected family. Even before their marriage, she helped bring a sense of order and respectability to their home. She lovingly looked after the education of her own six children and Monet's two sons.
Alice passed away on May 19, 1911. Her death greatly saddened Claude Monet. On the night she died, he wrote a letter to his friend, Gustave Geffroy, an art historian:
My poor friend, it’s over. My beloved companion died this morning at 4:00. I’m distraught, lost. Your friend. Claude Monet.
This letter can be seen today at the Fondation Monet in Giverny, which was once Monet's home.
Paintings of Alice
Alice Hoschedé Monet was featured in several paintings, including:
- Claude Monet, Breakfast under the Tent, Giverny, 1888
- John Singer Sargent, Mme Hoschedé and Her Son in Monet's Garden, Giverny
- John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet Painting
See also
In Spanish: Alice Hoschedé para niños
