Émile de Girardin

Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2026-10-21 Diary Coverage: 1878-07 to 1883-08 (died 27 April 1881)

Overview

Émile de Girardin (1802-1881) was the founder of the modern French popular press (La Presse, 1836), a deputy for Paris (9th arrondissement) from 7 November 1877 until his death on 27 April 1881 (Wikipedia «Émile de Girardin»; BnF authority record, as recorded in the RSR note at 090.0397). The diary's own footnotes give 1802 for his birth (090/1880-11-13, 091/1881-02-05) and his death at 79 (091/1881-04-29). Marie meets him in December 1880 and at the Juvisy dinner of February 1881, reads his brochure L'égale de l'homme, and hears of his death and will from Mme de Brimont.

In Marie's diary

• 1878-07-03: Géry, friend of Prince Jérôme, offers to introduce her to Girardin; «Le Pays» attacks «le Journal de M. de Girardin» (081.0296). 1879-10-06: «le vieux Géry … m'a offert de me présenter Emile de Girardin. Oui, mais rien n'arrive» (086.0354). 1879-10-22: she reads the account of a dinner at Girardin's for Gladstone (086.0409); 1879-11-15: «je parle d'Emile de Girardin, de politique, je m'insinue» (086.0534); 1879-12-26: she would ask to be introduced only to «un Gambetta, un Girardin, un Dumas» (087.0055).
• 1880-05-10: gossip that «la petite Juvisy est la fille d'Emile de Girardin» and of the canoness who passes for her sister; «Je n'y crois pas» (088.0145). Repeated at the dinner of 1881-02-05 (091.0082).
• 1880-11-13 and 12-02: the Juvisy ladies want Marie to dine with him (090.0218, 090.0301). 1880-11-21: reads his brochure L'égale de l'homme, «filandreux … d'une logique qui n'est pas logique du tout. Mais malgré tout c'est bon puisque c'est en faveur de l'égalité» (090.0260).
• 1880-12-16: Mme de Brimont introduces him at her oriental salon; Marie fears not hearing him; he advises against painting Hubertine Auclert («elle est laide») and says opinion is not yet ready for her cause (090.0396-0397).
• 1881-01-01: the scandal in which Mme Gros, widow Duvergier de Hauranne, accuses Mme de Brimont of Prussian espionage; «Girardin a obtenu pleine satisfaction à la Chambre» (090.0510-0511).
• 1881-02-05: the dinner at the Juvisys', 17 guests; «voici Emile de Girardin, âgé de Dieu sait combien d'années, il marche, cause et flirte encore» (091.0080-0084). 1881-04-06: his remark that the Cassagnac-Mitchell quarrel is «la déconsidération de l'injure» (091.0430).
• 1881-04-29: Mme de Brimont, affected, tells her «tous les détails» of his death (091.0535). 1881-05-15: «le testament de Girardin» is one of the stories the two women swap that evening, with magnetising and costume fittings (092.0010, 092/1881-05-15). Marie gives no details of the will.
• 1883-08-20: in the marriage scene with Saint-Amand, Marie lists the advantages of a husband who leaves her free: «M. Récamier, M. de Girardin etc.» (101.0195) and «Saint-Amand-Récamier-Girardin» (101.0212). Paired with M. Récamier, the husband of the salon queen Juliette Récamier, «M. de Girardin» is the husband of Delphine Gay, that is Émile himself (the other Girardin of the diary, the comte, is «rien d'Emile», 087.0832); t.16 index «Girardin (M. de) : 20-21». Settled, about 0.8.

Not to be confused with

• The comte de Girardin, member of the Jockey Club, fiancé of the comtesse de Bailleul: «le comte de Girardin (rien d'Emile)» (087.0832, 1880-04-11; 088.0004, 1880-04-24).
• Mme E. de Girardin (presumably Delphine Gay, Émile's wife, the writer and hostess; her Lettres parisiennes are presumably meant by «lettre XV») Marie reads on 1880-08-20 (089.0395) (not checked further).

References in Diary

081.0296; 086.0354, 0409, 0534; 087.0055; 088.0145; 090.0218, 0260, 0301, 0396-0397, 0510-0511; 091.0035, 0080-0084, 0430, 0535; 092.0010; 101.0195, 0212.