camille claudel - biography (1)

1864 

Camille Claudel is born on 8 December in Fère-en-Tardenois (Champagne) as 
second child of Louis-Prosper Claudel and Louise-Athanaïse Cerveaux. In these days her father works as a tax officer.
One year before, their first son, Charles-Henri, had died 15 days after his birthday. 

1866

18 January, the first son of Rose Beuret (22) and Auguste Rodin (26) is born.

1866

2 February the sister of Camille, Louise, is born.
On 4 March, the brother of Louise-Athanaïse dies. His body was found in the 
river at Châlons-sur-Marne.
Athanase Cerveaux, the grandfather, moves with his family to Villeneuve-sur-Fère in the same region.

1868

Paul Claudel, brother of Camille, is born on 6 August.

1870

Louis-Prosper Claudel is appointed to Bar-le-Duc (Meuse). There, Camille visits the school of the Sisters of the Christian Order.

1876

Louis-Prosper is appointed to the land registry office at Nogent-sur-Seine 
(Aube).
The children Claudel have as private tutor Mr. Colin, who teaches them 
Latin, Mathematics, Literature and Spelling.
In this year, Camille models her first figurines in terra-cotta: 'David and 
Goliath', 'Bismarck', 'Napoléon'. At the age of twelve she is already realising 
her greatest wish, becoming a sculptor, and she engages her family and the 
domestic servants as models and assistants.

1877

Scandal of Rodin's 'Age of Bronze' which was exposed in Brussels.

1879

Presumably in this year, Camille meets the sculptor Alfred Boucher, who lives in Nogent. 
Boucher recognises the gift of Camille and tries to convince her family about the necessity of an academic education. 
But Louis-Prosper is appointed to Wassy-sur-Blaise (Haute-Marne), and so he decides to split the housekeeping and helps his family to settle down in Paris.

1880

Rodin executes the 'Thinker'.

1881

Athanase is elected Mayor of Villeneuve. In September, Athanase dies.
Louise-Athanaïse and her children move to Paris, 135 boulevard du 
Montparnasse.
Paul becomes a student of the Collège Louis-le-Grand, and Camille attends courses in drawing and anatomy at the Académie Colarossi. This academy is one of the rare private universities, which admits also female students. 
Boucher often visits her to discuss and correct her works. Most of her early mythological and religious studies are not preserved. 
During her artistic education she concentrates on portrayals. Her first remaining and signed portrait is the 'Bust of Paul Claudel at the Age of Thirteen'.
Rodin creates his 'Eve'