Chevalier D'Eon

[Anthony Simon]

In the spirit of idly fiddling about, I looked up the Chevalier D'Eon on the web. This was the person I remember from my teenage years as being the kind of paradigm crossdresser. Here's some pages:

Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_d'Eon

Literary site
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/deon.htm

CD site
http://lvtgw.jadephoenix.org/Info_htm/G ... storys.htm

I'm sure lots of people already know this stuff, but it was interesting to me, partly because of the fantasy I had as a teen of being a CDing spy (which probably came from D'Eon's story, though I didn't remember that part of it consciously).

[Anne]

wow, interesting. Here is the wiki link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_d'Eon

Anne

[Erica S]

I did not know about this individual, thanks for sharing.

hugs,

Erica

[April Rose]

"Monsiuer d'Eon is a Woman" by Gary Kates is a well researched, well written and enjoyable book on this most interesting, enigmatic character.

[Absaroka]

At one time what we do was referred to as "Eonism"

[DonnaT]

http://artmarketmonitor.com/2012/04/16/ ... discovered" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

astonishing discovery of Chevalier D'Eon portrait

[Anthony Simon]

Thanks, Donna. Apart from anything, the fact that C D'E passed despite looking distinctly masculine is interesting.

[DeeDee]

Here's an interesting addition to this topic http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/2 ... ces.....go" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; figure!
Hugs
DeeDee

[Anthony Simon]

Thanks for that DeeDee. I thought this statement about the response to the painting particularly interesting:

"It's a combination of mirth and respect for a man who was bold enough, brave enough, but also extrovert enough to state his case."

Like D'Eon was someone who created a persona and then presented it to the world and it lived it out. In one way you could say that's a version of "all the world's a stage and men are simply players on it. I mean you need to be an extrovert to do that. And in another way, this is truly the precursor of people who are physically one sex presenting to the world as the other and saying that is who I am. So then (if that's true), D'Eon really was a foundational figure for all (well, very many of) the people here.

And the response to the portrait is split between derision (laughter) and respect.Seems pretty representative of where we are now.

[Carolynn]

I believe this painting was on the frontpiece of the biography of him/her a few years ago. I am not sure as I passed it on after reading it, but it is certainly similar.

It was an interesting book and the suggestion that he lived as a woman on pain of death due to an order by the French King at the time was in that book. It reported he lived quietly in England until his death with only one companion, and was not a extrovert, at least after he was ordered to live as a woman. It was also indicated that he did have a stipend from the French monarchy while it lasted.

Carolynn