THE CLEANING LADY Seraphine of Senlis

How did a lifelong cleaning lady become one of the most beloved painters in French history? In 1905, the voice of the Virgin Mary told orphaned, uneducated maid Seraphine to paint, and she obeyed. Her small French town was on the front line of both world wars, and through it all she painted her kaleidoscopic view. She gave her paintings to everyone in town...who promptly tossed them in the fireplace. She died penniless and unknown, but when a film about her aired on French television a couple years ago, everything changed. Travel with Katie in Senlis for a vivid soundscape of turn-of-the-century France and meet "France's Mona Lisa." Katie's guest is Alicia Basso Boccabella at the Museums of Senlis. Music featured in this episode was recorded by Thierry Callen, Kevin MacLeod, and Andrew Huang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices