Mertens

Overview

The baron and baronne de Mertens of Paris, «une dame ruinée qui tient une espèce de pension d'amis» (063.0206, July 1876), in whose house Mme de Mouzay lodges and where Marie and her aunt stay in the summer of 1877 («Me voilà à Paris, chez Mme de Mertens», 072.0289). The file covers the couple (calibration: «la baronne», «le baron», Paris 1876-77) and is used for both.

Names

Marie writes «le baron Adolphe de Mertens» (075.0116, 1 October 1877), and the Mon Journal t.11 index has «Mertens (Adolphe, baron de)». The t.10 index gives «Mertens (Alphonse, baron de)»; since Marie's own text has Adolphe, «Alphonse» is probably the indexer's slip, perhaps prompted by «Don Alphonse» (073.0466), Marie's mocking name for the baron on the night she and Hall wait for him to try Hall's door (0.85). The baronne's first name is not given. The baronne's sister is «Mme Armstrong, la sœur de la baronne» (072/1877-06-22), and the t.10 index has «Armstrong (Blanche d') nièce de la baronne de Mertens»; a «Mlle de Mertens» looks at Marie's album (073.0063) and visits her studio in 1881 (092.0350).

Relevance to Marie

• July 1876: through Mme de Mouzay, the baronne becomes part of Marie's Bonapartist circle; she goes with her to Laferrière's and to the clairvoyant Alexis (063.0318, 063.0459); «La baronne de Mertens a dû être surnaturellement belle, elle l'est encore» (064.0021); she talks of marrying Marie to the Prince Imperial (064.0074). Cassagnac is introduced in her drawing room (064.0128-0161).
• November 1876: she arranges the Versailles «entrevue de mariage» with the young Janvier de la Motte (067.1231-067.1271; cf. 091.0342 «Louis Janvier de la Motte, celui que m'avait proposé la Mertens»).
• June-August 1877: Marie, ma tante and Miss Hall board with the Mertens; the baron is «assommant comme toujours» (072.0360) and makes advances to Hall (073.0456).
• October 1877: the baron comes to claim what Georges owes him and writes slanders about Marie to Nice (075.0109); «le baron Adolphe de Mertens me calomnie» (075.0116).

Identity uncertain

We have not traced the couple outside the diary: the Belgian baronial family Mertens (en.wikipedia «Fernande de Mertens», daughter of baron Edouard Mertens) names no Adolphe, though baron Edouard Mertens had three brothers (en.wikipedia «Fernande de Mertens»). The niece who «a exposé au dernier salon» (073.0047, July 1877), «Melle de Mertens», may be Edouard's daughter, the painter Fernande de Mertens (born 1850), but the Musée d'Orsay dates her first Salon to 1879 (0.4); Kernberger (2013, glossary) has «Mertens, Mlle: niece of preceding, student at Julian's». If you can identify them, we would be glad to hear from you.

Duplicates

• BARON_DE_MERTENS (retired, replaced_by MERTENS); DE_MERTENS (086/1879-11-05, one tag) is the same name and should be merged here (reported to the lead).

Research Notes