Marie Laurencin was born in Paris in 1883. She began her career at age 18 in Sèvres painting porcelain but then returned to Paris to study at the Académie Humbert where she turned to oil painting. During the early 20th century, Laurencin was an important figure in the Parisian avante-garde. She was a member of both the circle of Pablo Picasso, and Cubists associated with the Section d'Or. She exhibited with them at the Salon des Indépendants (1910–1911) and the Salon d'Automne (1911–1912), and Galeries Dalmau (1912) at the first Cubist exhibition in Spain. During the First World War, she left Paris for Düsseldorf with her German-born husband. Longing for Paris and the center of artistic creativity, she left her husband in 1920 and returned. Laurencin is known as one of the few female Cubist painters. Her soft, feminine world spoke to viewers during her time.