Mme Magnan

Overview

A fellow student in the women's atelier of the Académie Julian in 1880–81, wife of the psychiatrist Valentin Magnan. The Mon Journal t.14 index has «Magnan (Valentin), médecin : 57» and «Magnan (Mme) épouse du précédent, élève à l'atelier Julian : 47, 57». Her first name is not given.

Marie's portrait of her (6 January 1881, 090.0542): «quoique mère elle n'a que vingt-sept ans, est maigre, pointue, la voix rauque, un vrai singe, pas laide; mais bonne fille, mais bonne femme !», devoted to her very pretty little daughter and to her husband, «le Dr. Magnan, médecin à Sainte Anne, ami de Charcot et sept fois couronné à l'Académie» (Marie's words, not checked). She cleans Marie's brushes and palette and is «tout à fait maternelle pour moi».

Her husband

Valentin Magnan (1835–1916), psychiatrist, was attached to the admissions service of the Sainte-Anne asylum in Paris from 1867 and its sole chief physician from 1879; he later became a member and president of the Académie de médecine (Encyclopædia Universalis, "Magnan Jacques Joseph Valentin"; en.wikipedia "Valentin Magnan"). Marie teases his wife «sur l'asile, les aliénés et son époux Valentin» (090.0542).

Relevance to Marie

• 24 December 1880: with Magdeleine Delsarte, she witnesses the written engagement by which Marie and Amélie promise Julian their pictures (090.0447; see L'Atelier Julian).
• 6 January 1881: it is she who warns Marie, half-knowingly, that Amélie means to share the little salon where Marie is to paint (090.0542, 090.0543: «Il est heureux encore que cette bonne Magnan m'ait prévenue»).
• 20 March 1882: Julian answers Marie's punning letter from Nice by saying he has booked «trois chambres chez Mme Magnan (Sainte Anne)» with «douches, camisoles etc.» (094.0334), a joke on her husband's asylum.

References in Diary

• First mentioned: 1880-12-24 (090.0447)
• 1881-01-06 (090.0542, 090.0543); 1882-03-20 (094.0334)
• Not to be confused with the Pont Magnan in Nice (PONT_MAGNAN).

Sources

• Mon Journal t.14 (L'Âge d'Homme), index.
• Encyclopædia Universalis, "MAGNAN JACQUES JOSEPH VALENTIN (1835-1916)"; en.wikipedia, "Valentin Magnan".