Portrait of a female artist, traditionally identified as Mademoiselle Halbou, three-quarter-length, in pink dress and a plumed hat, holding chalk and leaning on a portfolio, sketches and music sheets on a tabletop

Adèle de Romance, also known as Madame Romany or Madame Romanée, was born Jeanne Marie Mercier, illegitimate daughter of the Marquis de Romance, a former captain of the guards, and Jeanne-Marie Bernardine Mercier. In 1790 she married the miniature painter François Antoine Romany. She was a student of Jean-Baptiste Regnault and exhibited regularly at the Salon, from 1793 until 1806 under the name 'Romany' and from 1808 to 1833 under the pseudonym "Romanée". Although she painted some genre and historical scenes, Romany is primarily known as a portrait painter, particularly for her portraits of actors and singers.