Hubertine Auclert

Research Status: Comprehensive Last Updated: 2025-01-23 Diary Coverage: Up to 1880-12-01

French feminist, suffragist, and pioneering women's rights activist (1848-1914). Known as "the French suffragette," Auclert was one of the first French feminists to advocate for women's suffrage.

In December 1880, Marie Bashkirtseff visits Auclert at her office at 12, rue du Cail in Paris, where she runs the "Droit des femmes" (Women's Rights) organization. Marie describes Auclert as young, sympathetic, and attractive - countering the stereotype that feminist activists were old and unattractive.

Auclert founded the society "Le Droit des femmes" (later renamed "Le Suffrage des femmes") in 1876 and published the newspaper La Citoyenne starting in 1881. She was known for dramatic protests, including refusing to pay taxes since women couldn't vote ("no taxation without representation"), and disrupting official proceedings.

Marie is particularly drawn to Auclert because she represents a path for educated women to participate in public life and social reform. Marie adopts the pseudonym "Pauline Daria Orell" when meeting Auclert and plans to paint her portrait for the Salon, seeing this as a way to combine her artistic ambitions with feminist advocacy.

Key characteristics as described by Marie:

• Brunette with slightly flushed complexion
• Small hands (a bit red from the cold) and small feet
• Appropriate dress and manner of speaking
• Not particularly distinguished accent
• Sympathetic and kind
• Young and pretty (Marie uses this to counter anti-feminist arguments)

Historical significance:

• First French woman to call herself a suffragette
• Organized first French women's suffrage organization
• Campaigned for civil and political equality
• Advocated for women's right to work and education
• Published feminist newspaper La Citoyenne (1881-1891)

Marie's engagement with Auclert represents her growing interest in the women's movement and her desire to use her art for social causes. She reads Émile de Girardin's "L'égale de l'homme" (The Equal of Man) and decides she must prepare herself intellectually by obtaining at least a baccalauréat ès lettres to be ready when "women emerge from their humiliation."

References in diary:

• First mentioned 1880-11-21 (Marie plans to visit)
• First meeting 1880-12-01 (detailed description of visit and conversation)

• 18 August 1881 (merged entry HUBERTINE): «Hier soir je suis allée au droit des femmes, Hubertine ayant donné sa démission à la suite d'un tas de petits tripotages ... Cette pauvre fille est toujours en butte aux incapacités qui l'entourent» (092.0421); the fourteen members present vote the expulsion of the commandant d'Epailly and Mlle Drouin, who had slandered her (092.0422).