Impact

Although Natalie Barney was a proficient writer, she was far more influential to writers of her time and current writers because of her literary salon and her unusual life.
Natalie started her literary salon in 1910 and held meetings every Friday for over sixty years (except during wars). These gatherings "included good food and witty conversation" and a who's who list of writers: Gertrude Stein, Djuna Barnes, Rainer Maria Rilke, Ezra Pound, and more (Pendergast, 129). The writers would sit in her lush garden and discuss "all of the newest artistic doings in Paris" (Baldwin, 61).
In 1927, Barney established the Académie des Femmes, her response to the traditional, strictly male Académie Française. This group provided a place for women to "perform, create, engage in meaningful conversation, and safely express their desire for one another" (Imhof, 1). Not only did Barney's women's salon encourage women to write, but it also often funded the publishing of their works. Over the years, Natalie invested quite a bit of money in these works and strove to make a place in the world for women (especially lesbian) writers.
There were many other salons being run simultaneously by other female writers, like Gertrude Stein. Although Stein and Barney were rivals, they had different focuses for their groups and were on good terms. Natalie's salon stood out from the rest due to its intense focus on women.
The other way in which Barney was really influential was as a muse. The writers around her were charmed by her personality and fascinated by her intense personal life. She became the inspiration for the characters in books like Radcliff's The Well of Loneliness, Barnes' Ladies Almanack, and de Pougy's Idylle Saphique. Natalie also inspired artists with her charm and unconventional beauty. Her lover, Romaine Brooks, painted the portrait L'Amazone, which shows Natalie with a small statue of a horse illustrating her love for all things equestrian (Benstock).