One of Manet's muses

Édouard Manet's pretty redheaded model appears in many of his paintings. The woman was Victorine Meurent, and while she was a painter in her own right, she is best known for her work as a model for artists such as Manet, Edgar Degas, and even Henri Toulouse-Lautrec!

Portrait of Victorine Meurent

Édouard Manet, 1862

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

She even exhibited in the 1876 Paris Salon-yet her role as the controversial figure in many of Manet's famous paintings is what she has been best remembered by.

Woman with Parrot

Édouard Manet, 1866

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Manet first saw Victorine walking down a Parisian street with a guitar in her hand.

Luncheon on the Grass

Édouard Manet, 1863

Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Victorine in the Costume of a Matador

Édouard Manet, 1862

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Her most famous (and scandalous!) work as a model...

Olympia

Édouard Manet, 1863

Musée d'Orsay, Paris

This painting was actually inspired by a painting by the great Renaissance painter Titian:

Venus of Urbino

Titian, 1538

Uffizi Gallery, Italy