Portrait Lives: Madame de Pompadour

Madame was a different kind a mistress of the king. She was a woman of humble origins, but by King Louis XV she was made something else; ennobled by the name Marquise de Pompadour and his mistress. She influenced the king immensely, and influenced the politics of 18th century France. Many artists were encouraged by her, in fact the king is reported saying "I don't have enough room in my Castle for everybody."
For 20 years she was influencing France when she died of tuberculous at 43. She did many things in her life; she was credited with the loss of Canada by the French.

They are no pictures I can find of her in her early life so I will start in her mid twenties.

As Diana, abt 25 by Nattier

abt. 31 by de la Tour

abr. 34 by Charles Andre van Loo

abt.35 by Boucher

abt.37 by Boucher

Writing with a Dog at abt. 43 by Drouais

Sources:
www.madamedepompadour.com: a great source for information about her, this is where the Louis XV's quote is from
The Houghton-Mufflin Dictionary of Biography, 2003: Pompadour, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de,