While attending the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1950, George Stuart was befriended by Patricia Mayfield Barton who soon became the first person to be seriously attracted to Stuart's budding art form, the Historical Figure®. Over the next few years, Barton actively promoted Stuart's work, placing exhibits in museums and even early TV shows. In response, Stuart created a stunning figure of Madame Pompadour as a gift in 1960 (seen here).
Barton and her American husband later emigrated to Gourdon, France taking the famous French courtesan with them. Barton, an artist in her own right, was honored there with more than ten solo shows as well as two UNICEF cards. Barton died in 2005, but bequeathed the Pompadour figure to a friend who cherishes the figure now in her care.
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