"Song of the Angels" oil painting by Wlliam Adolphe Bouguereau in 1881.

William Bouguereau was a traditionalist and his painting style was very photo realistic entrenched in idealised female subjects. He was very famous among his wealthy customers and, for the most part, never suffered monetary problems like so many of the Impressionist painters did. He was able to paint portraits for wealthy women and beautify them while they sat for the portrait and still retain their likeness.

It appears he went straight up the ladder of success in his painting career. His fame lasted his lifetime. During his painting career the Impressionists didn't like his style and used derogatory phrases to describe his art. They said he was a competent technician stuck in the past. The Impressionists felt he stuck to the traditional work of artists at the time and never set out to experiment with new techniques, thus he was not respected among them.

Towards the end of his life, as impressionist art styles became more excepted, Bouguereau's work became less noticed and his career started to fall.

During his life he used his influence to open many French art institutions to women for the first time. Today over one hundred museums worldwide display his paintings.