Antoine Blanc, Capitaine de Frégate

Antoine Blanc was a French naval officer (capitaine de frégate -- frigate captain, equivalent to commander) and close friend of Paul de Cassagnac. He appears throughout the diary from 1876 to 1883, spanning carnets 062--100, with approximately 136 tagged references. Marie first encountered him through the Comtesse de Mouzay, who described him as "l'ami intime de Paul de Cassagnac, et son témoin dans tous ses duels" (Cassagnac's intimate friend and his second in all his duels). His first name is confirmed as Antoine in entries from carnets 084 and 093, where Marie writes "Blanc, (Antoine)" (084, 1879-04-25) and "L'ignoble Blanc, Antoine, capitaine de frégate" (093, 1881-11-07).

Physical Appearance and Character

Marie's first description of Blanc (1876-07-24): "un officier de marine de quarante ans mais jeune encore" who "nous observait tous de son air fin et quelque peu police-like" (a naval officer of forty but still young, who watched us all with his shrewd and somewhat police-like manner). Cassagnac's assessment of his friend: "Blanc est comme tous les officiers de marine, un peu rude, quelquefois même trivial, mais il a un coeur d'or et c'est mon seul ami" (Blanc is like all naval officers, a bit rough, sometimes even coarse, but he has a heart of gold and he is my only friend) (064, 1876-07-25). Marie later describes him watching Cassagnac "d'un air de vieille bonne qui regarde son enfant gâté et terrible" (with the air of an old nanny watching her spoiled and terrible child) (064, 1876-07-24).

Blanc was vain about his appearance. At Dieppe in 1879, Marie and her companions mocked his self-regard: "ce polisson de physique a séduit bien des femmes" (this rascal of a physique has seduced many women), he boasted while stroking his chin, a phrase that became a running joke -- "Nous ne l'appelons plus que 'polisson de physique'" (086, 1879-08-13). He was also an excellent dancer, which Marie acknowledged: "Savez-vous qu'il valse vraiment bien, j'ai dansé avec lui au bal" (086, 1879-08-31). His crude manners were a source of both amusement and disgust: "se tappe sur le derrière, s'essuie le nez dans les serviettes et parle du Sénégal et de la fièvre jaune" (slaps himself on the behind, wipes his nose on napkins, and talks about Senegal and yellow fever) (076, 1877-11-06).

Relationship with the Bashkirtseff Family

Blanc was a near-constant presence in the Bashkirtseff household from late 1876 through 1880, dining regularly with the family, playing piquet (a card game) with Marie's aunt, escorting the women to the opera and theater, and accompanying them to the Chamber of Deputies at Versailles. Marie called him their "invariable cavalier" -- "Comme cavalier Blanc invariablement capitaine de frégate ou colonel en retraite comme vous aimez mieux" (076, 1877-12-03). He stayed overnight during family crises: when Walitsky died in January 1878, "Blanc, capitaine de frégate malgré tout, qu'on a envoyé chercher à deux heures de la nuit, a passé la nuit ici et s'est conduit comme le meilleur des amis" (077, 1878-01-12). During the Georges crisis in February 1878, "Le docteur et Blanc ont dit des choses si persuasives qu'elles en étaient dures" (078, 1878-02-26). He physically carried Marie from the sofa when she was too depressed to move: "J'étais si bien collée au canapé que Blanc, d'après l'ordre de ma tante, a dû me prendre dans ses bras et me transporter" (078, 1878-02-23).

Marie retrospectively identified Blanc as one of her intimate confidants: "le capitaine Blanc dans le temps" (the captain Blanc in the old days), listing him alongside Alice and the architect as the kind of person who "reste là prêt à tout écouter, à opiner du bonnet, à raconter des histoires" (stays there ready to listen to everything, nod along, and tell stories) -- before inevitably committing "quelque petite vilenie" (some small act of baseness) (100, 1883-06-24).

Role as Intermediary with Cassagnac

Blanc functioned as the essential link between Marie and Paul de Cassagnac. The introduction itself came through Blanc: the Comtesse de Mouzay "connaît M. Blanc, l'ami intime de Paul de Cassagnac" (064, 1876-07-22), and Blanc arranged the famous first meeting at Mouzay's salon (July 24, 1876). Thereafter, Blanc served as message-bearer, gossip conduit, and social intermediary. Marie suspected Blanc of sabotaging the relationship by telling Cassagnac that she was only interested in wealthy suitors: "tout le monde le lui a dit à commencer par Blanc, parce que je l'ai dit à tort et à travers" (081, 1878-06-27). By 1877, Marie worried that "Blanc n'est plus son ami" and therefore never transmitted their invitations to Cassagnac (073, 1877-08-15). The friendship was mercurial: "Blanc transformé, rajeuni, retapé, ce que c'est que la réconciliation. Il ne fait qu'en parler, il y a huit jours il n'en disait que du mal" (079, 1878-04-14).

The most famous Blanc-Cassagnac episode is the masked ball at the Opera (January 27, 1878). Marie, in black domino and velvet mask, persuaded Blanc to escort her secretly. At the ball, Cassagnac guessed that Blanc's mystery companion was a woman he was in love with. Marie made Blanc swear never to reveal her identity: "J'avais envie et peur de lui parler et j'ai fait jurer à Blanc de ne jamais lui rien dire" (077, 1878-01-27). From this evening sprang the running joke about "la femme hongroise" -- Cassagnac's supposed mistress (actually Swedish, Mme Boje) whom Blanc was imagined to chaperone, prompting the catchphrase: "Blanc! tu n'as pas été violent avec la femme hongroise?!" (077, 1878-01-31).

Journalism and Politics

Blanc wrote for La Jeune Garde, a minor Bonapartist newspaper. Marie dismissed it as "une méchante feuille où s'escrime le superbe capitaine Blanc" (a wretched rag where the superb captain Blanc flails about) but acknowledged it reported parliamentary sessions accurately (carnet 084, raw carnet 12). His political involvement was intertwined with his Cassagnac connection: he attended Bonapartist meetings at the Café de la Paix (076, 1877-12-04), accompanied Marie to observe the Chamber of Deputies at Versailles, and railed against the Republic -- "Blanc vient le soir et éreinte la république" (086, 1879-09-06). Marie placed him alongside Cassagnac in the Bonapartist milieu: "Maintenant Blanc ou Cassagnac diront que je suis toquée" (089, 1880-09-07).

The Lancaster Duel Affair (January 1880)

At the Bashkirtseff Russian New Year's Eve party (January 12, 1880), Berthe Lancaster insulted Blanc by refusing him in a dance figure. Blanc immediately challenged Robert Lancaster (Berthe's husband) by announcing "un de ses amis pour le lendemain" -- a seconds arrangement for a duel. Marie, who was leading the cotillion, rushed to mediate. She wrote a letter to Blanc that night, sent via Alexis before the seconds could arrive. The crisis was resolved: "Blanc a écrit à Lancaster que si sa femme convient de ses torts et si lui-même promet qu'elle se conduira mieux à l'avenir, lui, Blanc, consentira à ne pas pousser l'affaire plus loin" (087, 1880-01-13). Berthe addressed her apology card to "cher Prince" -- confirming Blanc held a princely title or was addressed as such (087, 1880-01-12).

Social Assessment and Decline

Despite his constant presence, Blanc's social standing was ambiguous. M. Gavini bluntly informed Marie that "Blanc n'est pas un homme du monde, que Blanc est une espèce de Cassagnac mais inférieur et que dans la société il est de troisième catégorie" (Blanc is not a gentleman, he is a sort of Cassagnac but inferior, and in society he is third category) (085, 1879-04-26). Marie oscillated between affection and contempt: "cette vieille frégate" (that old frigate) (079, 1878-04-07), "faquin de Blanc" (that jackanapes Blanc) (080, 1878-05-11), "l'ignoble Blanc" (the ignoble Blanc) (082, 1878-10-12; 093, 1881-11-07), yet also "Blanc s'est conduit comme une perle" (Blanc behaved like a gem) (079, 1878-04-25) and "O Blanc! ô mon capitaine" (080, 1878-05-11). By 1880 his personal fortunes were failing: "il dit que rien ne va, ni entreprises de charbon en Suisse ni rien et qu'il faut tout lâcher et venir faire des piquets avec ma tante" (he says nothing is working, neither coal enterprises in Switzerland nor anything, and he must abandon it all and come play piquet with my aunt) (088, 1880-05-09).

Emotional Significance

There are hints that Blanc had romantic feelings for Marie, though she generally deflected them. Cancelled lines from one entry read: "Cela m'embête que cet homme est amoureux de moi" (078, 1878-02-23). On one extraordinary occasion, Marie was physically affected by his presence: "Quand je l'ai vu s'approcher je me suis sentie toute blanche et mon coeur battait!" (084, 1879-04-25) -- but this intensity may have been triggered by Blanc's resemblance to Cassagnac, the transferential quality she herself noted: "Ce vieux Blanc, il me rappelle le Défunt et je me sens toujours entrain de poser devant lui" (083, 1878-11-25). She listed "Antoine Blanc" among the significant men in her life whose names begin with "A" (084, 1879-03-23). Marie also suspected Blanc of spreading stories about her supposed passion for Cassagnac, calling him "L'ignoble Blanc, Antoine, capitaine de frégate" who told everyone she had been in love (093, 1881-11-07).

Diary Coverage

Blanc appears across carnets 062--100, from June 1876 to June 1883. His most concentrated presence is in carnets 076--087 (November 1877 -- March 1880), the period of Marie's Cassagnac obsession and early art career. He is mentioned almost daily in carnet 077 (December 1877 -- February 1878) and reappears heavily in carnets 085--086 (the Dieppe summer of 1879). After 1881, he appears only sporadically in retrospective references.

Note: Other Blancs in the Diary

This entry covers Antoine Blanc, the capitaine de frégate. The diary mentions several other persons named Blanc who should not be confused with him:

- Francois Blanc (1806--1877): Founder of the Monte Carlo Casino. Referenced in carnet 015 (1874-01-23) as "M. Blanc" hosting the pigeon shooters' dinner, and in carnet 062 (1876-06-15) as "maître de roulette." See also #Mlle_Blanc. Wikipedia
- Marie Blanc (Mme Roland Bonaparte): Daughter of Francois Blanc. Married Roland Bonaparte (November 17, 1880). See carnet 090, 1880-11-17. See #Mlle_Blanc.
- "Le petit Blanc" / "Blanc de Monaco": A son of Francois Blanc, involved in a scandal with Berthe Lancaster at Dieppe (summer 1880). Reported in Le Gaulois: "Berthe est la maîtresse de Blanc de Monaco" (089, 1880-08-11). Berthe later "vante le petit Blanc" and "a l'air d'avoir perdu la raison" (091, 1881-03-27). See #Blanc_Family.
- Louis Blanc (1811--1882): French socialist politician and historian. Marie observed him speaking at the Chamber of Deputies during the Amnesty debate (087, 1880-02-12). See #Louis_Blanc. Wikipedia
- Sir Seymour Blanc: A guest at the Blanche Boyd--Lord Paget wedding in London (014, 1873-12-14).

Related Entries

- #Cassagnac -- Blanc's intimate friend, Marie's obsession
- #Berthe -- Berthe Boyd/Lancaster, frequent companion alongside Blanc
- #Gavini -- M. Gavini assessed Blanc as "troisième catégorie"
- #De_Mouzay -- The comtesse who introduced Blanc and Cassagnac to Marie
- #Lancaster -- Robert Lancaster, Berthe's husband, duel adversary
- #Dieppe -- Summer resort where Blanc was frequently present