In 1863, the Royal Academy prepared for their upcoming official exhibition known as the Paris Salon. In choosing the artwork to be displayed, the Academy was particularly picky and rejected two-thirds of the paintings presented to them. However, among the accepted artists was Berthe Morisot. Morisot was a single woman from an affluent family who had received art instruction from an early age. Famously, one of her teachers is noted for saying that if Berthe knew how good she was, she might try to make a career of it. This was during a time that it was counter-culture for a woman to have such a career.

Among the rejected artists was Edouard Manet. Many artists, including Manet, became furious at their rejection and started their own Salon. The Salon was known as the Salon des Refusés. Translated, it means the “Salon of the Rejected”. The Salon gathered huge crowds who wished to see the rejected art pieces. One of the featured pieces was Manet’s “Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe”, a painting featuring a nude woman lounging at a picnic surrounded by clothed men which caused a lot of controversy. Enticed by all the commotion the Salon had caused, Berthe Morisot found herself amongst the visitors. From this visit, she became friends with Edouard Manet and the other artists represented. This new-founded group of friends would become what we know now as the Impressionists - artists, beyond their time, who violated the rules of painting according to the Academy. From this group of rejected artists, the Impressionist movement began.