Morisot and Cassatt were prolific artists, but most of their work is ferreted away in museums, making those paintings that do crop up on the market highly sought-after.

WSJ: In the Art World, Women on the Verge

One reason Morisot took off, experts say, is because she and artists like Mary Cassatt have styles similar to those of famous male painters of the period, in this case Manet and Renoir.

WSJ: In the Art World, Women on the Verge

In a packed Christie's salesroom in London last February, the Morisot canvas, "After Lunch, " sold for roughly three times its high estimate after a protracted back-and-forth between two telephone bidders from Russia and the U.S. The piece is believed to have gone to an American.

WSJ: In the Art World, Women on the Verge