Duchesse de Fitz-James

Who she was

The "duchesse de Fitz-James douairière" of the diary is, on the evidence, Marguerite Claire Stéphanie de Marmier (30 September 1807 – 15 October 1888), widow of Jacques Marie Emmanuel de Fitz-James, 7th duc de Fitz-James (1803–1846), whom she had married in 1826. She was the daughter of Philippe-Gabriel, 1st duc de Marmier. The Fitz-James were a legitimist family descended from James FitzJames, Duke of Berwick, the natural son of James II of England; the title was a French peerage. (Wikipedia fr, "Édouard de Fitz-James (1776-1838)" for the 1807–1888 dates; Utoronto Jacobite essay, "The Family of the Ducs de Fitz-James", for the marriage and children. A society chronicle of 1889 says she died "this week" in England at the age of eighty-five, which would put her death in 1889; the two sources disagree by a year and the genealogies are preferred here.)

Her son Édouard, 8th duc de Fitz-James (1828–1906), married in 1851 Marguerite Löwenhielm; this younger duchess is "sa belle-fille la duchesse de Fitz-James" of Marie's 28 May 1882 entry (095.0109). Her daughter Marie Antoinette (1837–1865) married the legitimist leader Athanase de Charette de la Contrie in 1862: their daughter is the "Mlle de Charette" whom the dowager brings with her and whom Marie names (095.0133, 095.0272). The "petite-fille Mme de Turenne, vingt-neuf ans" and "Mme de Miramon", with a seven-year-old son, are the granddaughters Marie meets on 28 May 1882 (095.0110).

In the diary the old duchess is a pious and charitable lady of the faubourg Saint-Germain, president in 1880 of a charity for the Petites Sœurs de l'Assomption (087.0744), who had herself lived for eleven years in the house the Bashkirtseffs now rented (087.0779: their concierge had been her maid). She is friends with the explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, whom Marie had already met at the Lesseps' (095.0140, 095.0208).

Marie and the duchess

The charity sale, 1880. On 30 March 1880 the duchess invites the Bashkirtseffs to take a stall at a charity sale in aid of her charity; Marie is told that a painting "signée de moi" will "faire la fortune d'une loterie" (087.0744–087.0745). The sale takes place on 6–9 April. Marie's framed painting dominates the stall, she sells four "bons de portrait" at 100 francs, the duchess and Baroness Reille find the idea "divine" (087.0793), and by 9 April about 40 stall-holders have raised nearly ten thousand francs, of which Marie's share is a thousand (087.0810). The painting itself is sold to Prince Soutzo for 300 francs (087.0799). The duchess calls on Marie's mother on 14 April and invites them on the 18th (087.0855, 087.0872).

A snub, August 1880. Marie writes that the duchess, "très charitable", turned away so visibly when they passed her twice in the Allée des Acacias that Marie blushed and trembled; but she excuses her, since they had never properly made her acquaintance, only visits and informal dinners after the sale (089.0415–089.0416). On 25 December 1880 the duchess is again pressing her to visit and lunch often (090.0454).

Introduction to the aristocracy, 1882. On 27–28 May 1882 she announces she will present them at her daughter-in-law's ball and Marie finds it "tout ce qu'il y a de plus chic, du vrai monde" (095.0109–095.0110). Adeline Gavini says that "nous voilà lancés dans la société la plus aristocratique de Paris" and they make a round of visits to the two duchesses, Mme de Turenne and others (095.0114). In June–July the duchess takes them to Mme de Janzé's house and play (095.0133, 095.0160), dines with them on 8 June with Mlle de Charette, Mme de Turenne and Brazza (095.0138–095.0142), and brings Mlle de Charette to Tony Robert-Fleury's, then to Julian's, so that she may take up painting (095.0253, 095.0272, 095.0282). Marie cannot explain why she is so kind: "Elle a sans doute des épouseurs décavés" (095.0168, 10 June).

Winter 1882–83. On 2 January 1883 she calls to thank the Bashkirtseffs for flowers they had sent her and, speaking of Gambetta's death, hints that his death might make a restoration possible (097.0342). On 14 January 1883, after the soirée of 12–13 January and the newspaper mix-up over the Bastien-Lepage name, Marie and her mother visit the duchess in bed and complain (098.0042); the ladies she was to bring have been told there will be no party. On 10 February Marie complains that the Fitz-James and Charette never come on Saturdays and that the family cannot hold its position without support from the Russian embassy; she supposes her mother won the duchess over "par une suite de récits attendrissants" (098.0308–098.0309). She still attends the duchess's evenings (098.0347, 17 February; 098.0516, 17 March). By 27 May 1883 she lists "être tolérée chez la vieille duchesse de Fitz-James dont le salon n'est pas amusant" among her social burdens (100.0011). The last mention is a visit on 9 November 1883 (102.0216).

Related entries

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