Anne-Rosalie Filleul was a gifted amateur artist and member of the royal court, and a neighbor of Franklin's during his years at Passy. Given the position of concierge at the Chateau of La Muette as a "pension" by Marie Antoinette, she lived there with her husband and family. She painted a portrait of Franklin, possibly at the request of her father, Blaise Bocquet, a Paris shopkeeper. Bocquet commissioned a print from the portrait, and sold copies. Mentions of the family in Franklin's papers confirm that he was on friendly terms with them. Mme. Filleul's life ended tragically: her husband died, the chateau was closed, and she was executed during the Terror for having been associated with Marie Antoinette. (Sellers, Lopez)

The painting appears in an inventory of the contents of La Muette made in 1793 by the revolutionary government: " Mme. Filleul. Portrait de Franklin peint à mis-corps par la femme susdite, estime 120 livres." The inventory was conducted in support of an investigation into an accusation of theft of the chateau's contents (no doubt to justify the artist's intended execution).