This thesis aims to retrace the evolution of the social conditions of artistic production during the first half of the 19th century in France from a gender perspective. This research explores how, between the last years of Ancien Régime (1780s) and the proclamation of the Second Republic (1848), the major structural changes of the art world (i.e. its progressive transformation into an autonomous field and the professionalization of artistic activities, that are made obvious through the absolute centrality of the Salon in the art world's organization and in artists' careers after 1802) are deeply linked to the exceptional presence and visibility of women among professional artists at that time.
