Wayne State University Wayne State University Dissertations 1-1-2015 Princess On The aM rgins: Toward A New Portrait Of Madame Élisabeth De France Maria Spencer Wendeln Wayne State University, Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations Part of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, and the History Commons Recommended Citation Wendeln, Maria Spencer, "Princess On The aM rgins: Toward A New Portrait Of Madame Élisabeth De France" (2015). Wayne State University Dissertations. Paper 1322. This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in Wayne State University Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState. PRINCESS ON THE MARIGNS: TOWARD A NEW PORTRAIT OF MADAME ÉLISABETH DE FRANCE by MARIA SPENCER WENDELN DISSERTATION Submitted to the Graduate School of Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 2015 MAJOR: HISTORY Approved by: ____________________________________ Advisor Date ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ © COPYRIGHT BY MARIA SPENCER WENDELN 2015 All Rights Reserved DEDICATION For my sisters in French heritage and history: Alice du Puy Spencer, my grandmother; Josephine du Puy, her sister and my godmother; Mary Paulette Van Vactor Heil, my beloved friend; and Mary Joan Gills Spencer, my mother and fellow researcher. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My acknowledgements begin with a special note of gratitude to Dr. Christopher Johnson. I could have not had a better adviser for my master’s thesis and this work in part derives from his guidance on my analysis of Madame Élisabeth’s 1787 portrait by Labille-Guiard. Still, the thing that he did which I am most thankful for is bringing Janine Lanza into my life. On numerous occasions I’ve pondered if Chris thought to himself as Janine went through the interview process, “She’s the advisor for Maria.” I have been truly blessed to have Dr. Janine Lanza as my dissertation adviser. The value of her guidance is immeasurable, but I can tell you the extent of her supportiveness. Seldom does a graduate student have an adviser who picks you up from the airport, shows you the ropes at both the Archives Nationales and the Bibliothèque Nationale, and even picks you up at the curb of the Newberry Library just so you’ll have more time to do research. There is no way this work could have been achieved without her and I am eternally grateful for all her help. I would also like to thank the members of my committee: Anne Duggan; Karen Marrero; and Aaron Retish. I have learned so much from our numerous conversations and their feedback has so helped to reassure me over the years. I would also like to extend my thanks to both Dr. Jose Cuello and Dr. Joseph Turrini, my intrepid explorers in Latin American History and Archival & Public History. Also, I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank both Dr. Marc Kruman and Ms. Gayle McCreedy. When I was considering going to graduate school twenty-years ago, I met with Dr. Kruman and came away with the realization that pursuing an advanced degree was possible. Meanwhile, it has been Ms. McCreedy’s knowledge and patience which always helped calm my fears and showed me the path forward. The laughs we’ve shared have brightened many an academic day. Moreover, this project could not have been iii accomplished without generous grants from the WSU History department for travel to the archives in France and the 2013 exhibition at Montreuil, Madame Élisabeth’s estate. Over the years I have made so many friends in graduate school and while I cannot mention them all, I want to thank the following for their constant encouragement and support: Dr. Amy French; Dr. Barry Johnson; Dr. Louis Jones; Elizabeth Chamberlain; Tim Moran; Elizabeth Ryan; and Errin Stegich. Many are the laughs, glasses of wine, and even trips to the beach we’ve shared; and I want Dr. French to know she always puts a huge smile on my face when I hear her say on the other end of the line, “Hey, Girlie Girl!” Also, no project is achievable without the foundational support of one’s friends outside academia. It is in that sentiment I also want to thank Kelly Bixby, Diane Tsaprazis, and Thomas C. Coons, the former two being there for me from the beginning of my academic journey; and the latter for being my oldest friend and for always understanding my warped sense of historical humor. Lastly, I am especially appreciative to the members of my family for all their love and support, from Dr. Hugh Spencer’s eternal love; to Dr. Tara Singer’s sisterly academic guidance; to Britt Singer’s listening to me explain Marie-Antoinette’s Hameau as we wandered through it; and especially to my mother, Jo Spencer, for willingly to trekking with me out to Versailles on multiple occasions. Moreover, none of this could have been achieved without the unceasing love and support of my husband, Tom, and our beautiful daughters, Natalie and Carolyn. “Muchas, muchas gracias” and “Je t’aime.” iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF FIGURES vi Prologue 1 Chapter 1. Introduction 4 Chapter 2. The Paradox of Représentation and Royal Womanhood in the Final Salons of the Old Regime 45 Chapter 3. Representing the Monarchy, Representing the Royal Family, Representing Themselves 83 Chapter 4. La Soeur du Roi 134 Chapter 5. “La partie étoit belle,” Madame Élisabeth in the Tuileries 165 Chapter 6. Madame Élisabeth and the Making of the Last Royal Spectacle 213 Chapter 7. Conclusion 260 Appendix. Le Rendez-Vous de Madame Élisabeth, Soeur du Roi, Avec L’Abbé Saint Martin, Aumonier de la Garde Nationale dans le Jardin de Tuileries 268 REFERENCES 276 Abstract 300 Autobiographical Statement 302 v LIST OF FIGURES Fig. P.1. Carlo Lasinio, engraver; Domenico Pelligrini, designer, Madame Anne Élisabeth soeur du Roy Louis XVI condamnée au suplice le 10 mai 1794: Les Commissaires en exercice viennent le notifer et la somment de sortir sur le champ du Temple (1795) 2 Fig. 1.1. Anonymous, Éxecution de Louis Capet XVI me de nom, le 21 janvier 1793 (1793) 4 Fig. 1.2. Jacques-Louis David, Marie-Antoinette (1793) 5 Fig. 1.3. Roger Viollet, Les adieux de Louis XVI à sa famille, le 20 janvier 1793 (1793) 32 Fig. 1.4. Nicolo Schiavonetti after C. Benazech, The Last Interview of Lewis the Sixteenth, with his Family (1794) 33 Fig. 1.5. Anonymous, Les Animaux rares: ou la translation de la ménagerie royale au Temple, le 20 aoust 1792, 4. me de la liberté et 1. er de l’égalité (1792) 34 Fig. 2.1. Pietro Antonio Martinin, The Salon of 1787 (1787) 45 Fig. 2.2. Alexander Roslin, Madame Adélaïde, fille de Louis XV (1765) 47 Fig. 2.3. Alexander Roslin, Madame Victoire, Princess of France (1765) 47 Fig. 2.4. Charles-Germain de Saint-Aubin, La Plus prompte facon de faire un portrait, from Livres de caricatures tant bonnes que mauvaises (c. 1740 – c. 1775) 51 Fig. 2.5. Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Self-Portrait with Students (1785)57 Fig. 2.6. Hyacinthe Rigaud, Louis XIV (1701) 60 Fig. 2.7. Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Marie-Antoinette en chemise (1783) 69 Fig. 2.8. A.-U. Wertmuller, Marie-Antoinette et ses enfants dans le jardin anglais de Trianon (1785) 72 Fig. 2.9. Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Marie-Antoinette, reine de France, et ses enfants (1787) 76 Fig. 3.1. Jean-Baptiste André Gautier-Dagoty, Louis XV présentant au dauphin le portrait de Marie-Antoinette par Durcreux (c. 1770) 84 Fig. 3.2. Pierre-Adrien Le Beau after Pierre François Léonard Fontaine, Portrait de Élisabeth-Philippe-Marie Hélène de France, en buste, de profil dirigé à gauche dans une bordure ovale (Before 1774) 86 vi Fig. 3.3. Louis-Jacques Cathelin after Joseph Ducreux, Madame Éliabeth à l’âge de onze ans (1775) 86 Fig. 3.4. Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Portrait of Madame Adélaïde (1787) 92 Fig. 3.5. Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Portrait of Madame Victoire (1788) 102 Fig. 3.6. Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Portrait of Madame Portrait de feue Madame Louise- Élisabeth de France, Duchesse de Parme et de Son Fils (1788) 102 Fig. 3.7. Antoine-François Callet, Portrait d’appart du roi Louis XVI (“dans le grand habit du jour de son sacre”) (c. 1779) 103 Fig. 3.8. Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Madame Élisabeth (1782) 112 Fig. 3.9. Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Yolande-Martine-Gabrielle de Polastron, duchesse du Polignac (1782) 116 Fig. 3.10. Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Portrait of Madame Élisabeth de France 120 Fig. 3.11. Pierre Mignard, Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon (1694) 123 Fig. 3.12. Maurice-Quentin de la Tour, Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour (1755) 123 Fig. 3.13. Jean-Marc Nattier, Portrait of Marie Leszczynska (1748) 124 Fig. 4.1. M. S. Wendeln, “Etat de Personnes, Nommineer et Etablier par sa Majesté Pour Servir après Madame Élisabeth de France, Née le 3ͤ May de la présente année 1764” (1764; 2009) 139 Fig. 4.2. Attributed to François-Hubert Drouais, Madame Élisabeth, soeur de Louis XVI (1770) 140 Fig. 4.3. Louis-Jean-François Langrenée, Allegory of the Death of the Dauphin (1767) 147 Fig. 4.4. Charles Leclercq, Madame Élisabeth jouant de la harpe (1783) 151 Fig. 4.5. Anne-Baptiste Nivelon, Madame Louise en carmélite (1770) 153 Fig. 4.6. M. S. Wendeln, Montreuil (western façade), Domaine de Madame Élisabeth (2013) 156 Fig. 4.7. M. S. Wendeln, Montreuil (eastern façade), Domaine de Madame Élisabeth (2013) 157 Fig.