Elaine Velie

Manet was by all accounts an image-obsessed man. In one of the most petty stories I’ve been lucky enough to write about, a critic dismissed Manet’s work, the painter slapped him at a trendy Paris cafe, and the two agreed to a duel. Manet purchased a brand new outfit in preparation. The fight ended after a “single engagement” (no one was injured), and the painter later took the opportunity to mock his opponent’s larger shoe size.

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