Chevalire D'eon - Tumblr Posts

OH MY GOD HELL YES NOT ONLY DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CHEVALIER D'EON (She really just does NOT get enough attention) BUT YOU ALSO KNOW ABOUT THE BARON'S HAREM

I LITERALLY LOVE YOU(IN A NON CREEPY WAY) SUAUSHSBANSBZNNANADBBX

Hi! I'm working on a queer history project, and since you seem to have pretty good knowledge of D'Eon's life, I'd love to know if you have any thoughts on which moments of her life would be the most painting/drawing worthy! I need it to capture her Vibe tm

Ok I've been thinking about this and I have a few possibilities:

The Fencing Match Between d'Eon and Saint-Georges

This is almost too obvious. But it's iconic. She was wearing her iconic black dress. It shows her as the very capable fencer she was. It's just very d'Eon.

On the 9th of April 1787 d'Eon fenced Saint-Georges at Carlton House.

The London Chronicle gave the following account of the match in their 12-14 April, 1787 issue:

Mademoiselle D’Eon exhibited a curious spectacle at the assault which was performed before the Prince of Wales last Monday. The novelty of a Lady in petticoats engaging the most experienced and able masters of the noble science of defence, excited universal pleasantry. Those who were not perfectly acquainted with the Chevalier’s history stood in amazement, and even such as had formerly known her en culottes, were not a little surprized at the skill she displayed in fencing with Mr. St. George. Her petticoats did not incommode her in the least, and it was very clear that this retired Captain of Dragoons is much more expert at the riporte than a curtsey, and handles a foil with more grace than she does a fan. The assault upon the whole proved highly entertaining, and the satisfaction of the company was not a little encreased by the affability and engaging condescension of the Prince of Wales, than whom no man possesses more the spirit of elegant hospitality, and the captivating manners of the polished gentleman.

John Buchan Telfer reprints the following contemporary newspaper article in his biography on d’Eon:

The most remarkable occurrence of the fencing match at Carlton House was the assault between Monsieur de Saint-George and Mademoiselle D'Eon, the latter though encumbered, as she humorously declared herself, with three petticoats, that suited her sex much better than her spirit, not only parried skilfully all the thrusts of her powerful antagonist, but even touched him by what is termed a coup de temps, which all his dexterity could not ward off. We hear that a celebrated painter has undertaken to hit off the semblance and attitude of the hero and heroine in this very interesting scene. Mademoiselle D'Eon had modesty enough, on her hitting Monsieur de Saint-George, to set it down to his complaisance; but the latter candidly declared that he had done all in his power to ward against it. A gentleman present assures us that nothing could equal the quickness of the repartee, especially considering that the modem Pallas is nearly in her sixtieth year, and had to cope with a young man equally skilful and vigorous.

The painter referred to in this article is Alexandre-Auguste Robineau who painted this depiction of the match.

[The Fencing-Match between the Chevalier de Saint-George and the Chevalier d'Eon, c. 1787-9 by Alexandre-Auguste Robineau, via the Royal Collection Trust.]

If you're going to do this one I'd consider using the Mather Brown portrait of Saint-Georges as a reference. Saint-Georges himself said "c'est si resemblant c'est affreux" [it's so lifelike it's frightful]. (The Chevalier de Saint-Georges by Gabriel Banat p342)

[Monsieur de St. George, c. 1788, print by William Ward after Mather Brown, via The British Museum.]

A Different Fencing Match

To mix it up you could depict her fencing Mrs. Bateman whom d'Eon had a professional partnership with. D’Eon complimented Bateman’s fencing skills describing her as “a youngling in her nest, that would rise and support the honour of female heroism in England.” (Diary or Woodfall's Register, 18 Jan 1793)

On Thursday the 30th of May 1793 Mrs. Bateman held a benefit night at the King’s Theatre in Haymarket. There was a performance of All in the Wrong, Mrs. Bateman played Lady Restless. The Morning Chronicle reports “After the play, the Chevalier D’Eon in generosity of friendship, displayed her wonderful talent in fencing. She first pushed carte and tierce with her youthful imitator, Mrs. Bateman.” (31 May 1793)

[Mrs Bateman, print c.1793 by Marino or Mariano Bovi (Bova), after Ludwig Guttenbrun, via the National Portrait Gallery]

You could also depict her fencing a gentleman in her stays and petticoats. D'Eon finding woman's clothes restrictive when fencing started to strip down to allow for more mobility. This incident caused a bit of a commotion in the English press.

After her fencing display with Mrs. Bateman at the King’s Theatre in Haymarket d'Eon fenced with a gentleman, in preparation she “pulled off her jacket, and thus stripped to her stays, with her handkerchief loose over them, and short petticoats that did not come half way down her legs”. (The Times, 31 May 1793)

The Sun was scandalised writing that “the indecent circumstance of her stripping herself to her stays, preparatory to her fencing, gave a very general disgust.” And while The Times conceded credit to “the Lady’s science and activity” they were horrified “to see an old masculine woman of sixty thus attired, and publicly exposing herself on the stage,” declaring that it was “an indecency which we shall never suffer to pass by without a very severe animadversion.” (The Sun, 31 May 1793; The Times, 31 May 1793)

Her Presentation at Versailles

After d'Eon returned to France in 1777 she was presented to the King and Queen at Versailles. While she had already been telling people she was a woman before this point and was already legally acknowledged to be a woman this was important because it was the first time she was being publicly acknowledged by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette as a woman in a formal context.

On the 23rd of November 1777 Mémoires secrets pour servir à l'histoire de la République des Lettres en France reported:

Il doit y avoir aujourd'hui un concours de monde prodigieux à Versailles. Ensin la présentation du Chevalier d'Eon represent son sexe véritable, qui est celui de femme, annoncée depuis longtems, va s'effectuer dans son nouveau costume. Mlle. d'Eon continuera à porter la croix de St. Louis attachée à son côté [Today there must be a prodigious concourse of people at Versailles. Thus the presentation of the Chevalier d'Eon represents his real sex, which is that of woman, announced for a long time, will take place in his new costume. Mlle d'Eon will continue to wear the cross of St. Louis attached to her side]*

In the weeks leading up to the event d'Eon was prepared by Marie Antoinette's marchande de modes Mademoiselle Bertin. Bertin worked not only on d'Eon's dress but to teach her how to move in it. At the French court women were required to wear the grand habit de cour which was a lot for d'Eon to get used to:

La plus grande peine de M.ˡˡᵉ Bertin fut de me faire attraper la marche. la demarche, & la contremarche d'une femme à la Cour, de me faire avancer & reculer noblement en robe longue & deplyèe sur un vaste panier qui à lui seul remplissoit la monitié de ma chambre. Mais l'aimable & doucereuse Bertin aprés s'etre insinueé fort avant dans mon amitié, me fit avancer & réculer comme elle voulut, elle me fit faire toute ce quelle jugea convenable aux habitudes, aux usages & à la décence qu'on demandoit en moi. [The greatest difficulty for Mademoiselle Bertin was to make me learn the march, dismarch, & countermarch of a woman of the Court, to make me move forward & backward nobly in a long gown spread over an enormous hoop which on its own filled half of my chamber. But the kind & sweet Bertin after being strongly insinuated in my friendship before, made me more forward & back as she willed, she made me do all that she thought proper to the habits customs & decency that was required of me.]**

D'Eon complained that the first time Mademoiselle Bertin dressed her it took four hours and and ten minutes:

Je vous dirai que ma premiere toilette entre les mains de la chaste Bertin & de ses modestes Aides-de Camp, fut accomplie en moins de quatre heures dix minutes! juger de mon tourment & de ma patience! [I will tell you that my first toilette at the hands of the chaste Bertin & her modest Aides-de-Camp, was completed in less than four hours ten minutes! Judge my torment & my patience!]**

In repose to d'Eon's complaining Mademoiselle Bertin told her:

Mon brave capitaine ne jurez pas. Le jour que vous serez presentée au Roi & à la Renie, vous serez bien heureuse, si je ne vous fais pas lever à quatre heures du matin, pour être prête à une heure aprés midi [My brave captain do not curse. The day that you will be presented to the King & to the Queen, you will be very happy, if I do not make you rise at four in the morning to be ready at one in the afternoon]**

Of course we know d'Eon was wearing her cross of St. Louis but we unfortunately don't have a detailed description of her presentation gown. In her autobiographical writings d'Eon says it was made of embroidered white satin. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell in her article Dressing d'Eon comments that this seems odd as "etiquette stipulated that only debutantes in mourning could wear white, rather than black, which was reserved for presentation at court, mourning, and some religious habits in the eighteenth century." She suggested d'Eon may be "literally whitewashing" history but concedes that it is possible that her "presentation coincided with one of the frequent and somewhat arbitrary periods of court mourning." (p104)

During the time d'Eon spent at Versailles she had to wear both formal and informal dress as dictated by the Court calendar. She commented that "Le deshabillé me convient fort, mais quand il ma faut porter le grand habbillement [sic] avec ajustement & parure c'est pour moi un grand tourment" [The informal dress suited me very well, but when I had to wear the formal dress with accessories and jewels, it was a great torment for me]**.

*this was translated by google translate. If anyone wants to add a better translation I'd love that.

**All of these quotes are from d'Eon's autobiographical writings which are all quoted and translated in Dressing d'Eon by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell.

ah fuck man can I have some of that uhmmm

*checks notes*

fried manumission abolitionist

fried bastard orphan

fried obnoxious and disliked congressman

fried baronussy wussy

fried crossdressing sailor

fried trans French diplomat

fried Philadelphia lawyer and certified twink

fried terrible queen

fried slave owning redhead

fried mini french aristocrat

fried VERY mini former president

fried tired commander-in-chief

fried fairly normal president

Aw cool, thanks dawg.

hey man i took your blorbo and scrambled him in a bowl. yeah he's on the pan now. yeag i added some seasoning. yeah im eating him now

Chevalier d'Eon: Yeah my name is Charlotte Mademoiselle d'Eon, I am a woman, I present myself as a biological woman, and I present myself with she/her

Historians: Well... Well... That means we'll just call him Charles! He was such a cool man woman.