THE CLUB
Where American Women Artists Found Refuge in Belle Époque Paris
“Through masterful research and sparkling prose, The Club feels like an exclusive invitation to a Parisian enclave during an era of artistic and social transformation.” —Michael Finkel, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Art Thief
A deliciously entertaining, never-before-told history of a residence for American women artists in Paris from 1893 to 1914.
In Belle Époque Paris, the Eiffel Tower was newly built, France was experiencing remarkable political stability, and American women were painting the town and gathering at a female-only Residence known as The American Girls’
“Through masterful research and sparkling prose, The Club feels like an exclusive invitation to a Parisian enclave during an era of artistic and social transformation.” —Michael Finkel, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Art Thief
A deliciously entertaining, never-before-told history of a residence for American women artists in Paris from 1893 to 1914.
In Belle Époque Paris, the Eiffel Tower was newly built, France was experiencing remarkable political stability, and American women were painting the town and gathering at a female-only Residence known as The American Girls’ Club in Paris. Opened in 1893, The Club was the center of expatriate living and of dedication to a calling in the fine arts, and singularly harbored a generation of independent, talented, and driven American women.
Now in The Club, curator, art historian, and podcast host Jennifer Dasal presents the never-before-told story of the Club, the philanthropists who created it, and the artists it housed. These women forged connections in the arts and letters with luminaries like Auguste Rodin and Gertrude Stein or became activists through their relationships with the likes of Emmeline Pankhurst. But just as importantly, these women’s lives revealed the power of the Club itself, and the way that having a safe home for single women of ambition allowed them to grow as teachers, artists, suffragists, and people.
For readers interested in women’s lives as captured in books like The Barbizon, art history buffs who loved Ninth Street Women, and armchair travelers longing to visit Belle Époque Paris, The Club is a captivating, colorful new history.
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Hardcover
- July 2025
- 336 Pages
- 9781639731305
Buy the Book
$29.99
About Jennifer Jennifer Dasal
Jennifer Dasal is the creator and host of the ArtCurious podcast, which has been featured in multiple publications, including O, the Oprah Magazine. She is also the author of ArtCurious: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History. She holds an MA in art history and a BA in art history. Dasal is the former curator of modern and contemporary art at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh. Dasal lives in North Carolina with her family.
Praise
“Through masterful research and sparkling prose, The Club feels like an exclusive invitation to a Parisian enclave during an era of artistic and social transformation.” ―Michael Finkel, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Art Thief
“Jennifer Dasal’s captivating history immerses readers in late 19th and early 20th-century Paris, where the struggles and successes of the American Girls’ Club resident artists resonate powerfully with contemporary issues.” ―Sean Fitzgibbon, author of What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel
“A true gift . . . [Dasal] delivers with passion and scrupulous research, shining a light on the untold story of American woman artists of Belle Epoque Paris and the world surrounding them . . . An essential addition to any library of art history.” ―Jeff Lanier, author of For the Minds and Wills of Men
“Eye-opening . . . The Club was essential to generations of pioneering American women artists, and so is Dasal’s wonderful book in bringing their stories to new light.” ―Bridget Quinn, author of Portrait of a Woman
“Dasal brings to light a cast of talented, courageous women whose lives, and art, defied expectations; her engaging history pays homage to the singular space that nurtured them. A fresh look at female artists.” ―Kirkus Reviews