Born in Paris in 1876, Marguerite Lucie Aimée Augustine Marie de Lacombe (née Gamelin) was a French landscape and figure painter who achieved early recognition within the structured art world of the Third Republic. At just eighteen, she became a member of the Société des Artistes Français - a distinction rare for any young artist, and rarer still for a woman - and she soon exhibited at the Salon, establishing herself among the promising female painters of her generation. Her early work suggests strong academic training, a cultivated upbringing, and a natural inclination toward quiet, pastoral subjects.
Yet within her family, Marguerite stood at a fascinating crossroads. The men closest to her devoted their lives to the defence and governance of France - her brother, Maurice Gamelin, became Commander-in-Chief of the French Army, and her husband, Pierre Gaston de Lacombe, rose to the rank of Brigadier General. In contrast, Marguerite’s art captured the very opposite world: the stillness of the countryside, the gentle labour of rural families, the intimate spaces of trees, fields, and quiet paths. Her landscapes seem to offer a counterpoint to the louder demands of national duty, a France of calm observation set against a France of hierarchy and command.
She exhibited both before and after her marriage in 1898, continued to paint into the early 20th century, and remained sufficiently respected to be recorded in Benezit. Works such as 'Forest Path' and 'Cardeuse de Matelas' appeared at auction in 1905, demonstrating a continued if understated presence within artistic circles. Though much of her oeuvre has slipped from public view, the surviving paintings reveal a refined, contemplative voice that speaks with clarity across the years. Her life and work form a quiet but compelling chapter in the story of French female artists navigating the expectations of their age.
Known For
Landscape painting, pastoral subjects, rural figure groups, and academically grounded naturalism.
Student Of
Not formally recorded. Given her early admission to the Société des Artistes Français, her training was almost certainly undertaken in a Parisian private studio, possibly within one of the major ateliers admitting women in the 1890s (Julian, Delécluse, or Trélat).
Lived In
Paris (7ᵉ arrondissement), later Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Historical Context
Marguerite painted during a moment of cultural duality in France. The Third Republic fostered military modernisation, national anxiety, and administrative order - embodied in her own family through high-ranking officers and future generals. At the same time, French art continued to explore pastoral identity: a longing for agrarian simplicity, a respect for labour, and a romanticised vision of the countryside untouched by political unrest. For women of her class, public artistic ambition was encouraged only briefly before marriage and domestic responsibilities became dominant expectations.
Her landscapes belong to this intersection: academically structured yet emotionally gentle, offering glimpses of a France still rooted in fields and rural paths, while the nation at large braced for industrial and military change.
Timeline
1876
Born 14 June in Paris 7ᵉ arrondissement to Zéphyrin Auguste Joseph Gamelin and Pauline Adèle Uhrich.
1894
At eighteen, became a member of the Société des Artistes Français; exhibited at the Paris Salon.
1898
Married Pierre Gaston Le Général de Lacombe, an artillery captain (later Brigadier General), in Paris. Began exhibiting as Mme M. de Lacombe.
1901
Birth of her daughter, Renée de Lacombe.
1905
Two works appear at auction in Paris: Forest Path (study) and Cardeuse de matelas.
1900-1930s
Continued painting, though her public artistic presence diminished. Lived within a prominent military family during a period of profound national tension and upheaval.
1933
Death of her husband.
1960
Died 16 July in Neuilly-sur-Seine, aged 84.
Described By Others
Benezit
"Lacombe, M. de, née Gamelin. French, 19th century, female. Active in Paris. Painter. Landscapes, figures. Member of the Société des Artistes Français from 1894; represented at the Salon.”