The Nine Other Members of the Committee of Public Safety.

[maelicia.livejournal.com]

A friend, nirejseki, asked for the portraits of the members of the Committee of Public Safety for a drawing she's planning. I was working on a reply for her with all the links, but since I happened to (a first!) find all of their potraits, I'm going to post it, because it's memorable. I already posted it on my LJ, but I thought posting it here would be useful too. Naturally, I suppose you could do the research by yourself, since they can all be found on the French Wikipedia, by clicking on their names here: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comit%C3%A9_de_salut_public#Le_.C2.AB_Grand_Comit.C3.A9_de_salut_public_.C2.BB

Some articles were updated with new portraits (like the ones of Billaud-Varenne and Hérault de Séchelles).

Some of those portraits sort of frighten me, because suddenly, for once... those men look so real, a level of realism the simple engraving doesn't really have. They stop being just names I stumble on when reading.

So, minus the three robespierristes we already know quite well enough (well, unless you want their portraits too...? might get tough to settle for just one portrait for at least two of them, no? -_-):


Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac, député des Hautes-Pyrénées, 1755-1841


Robert Lindet, député de l’Eure, 1746-1825

Lighter version but smaller and on the other side:
Lindet, I would like to say: I like your perm. ...uh. Sorry.

André Jeanbon Saint André, député du Lot, 1749-1813

Portrait made by David, btw. When they were both in prison after Thermidor.

Jean-Marie Hérault de Séchelles, député de Seine-et-Oise, 1759-1794


Pierre-Louis Prieur (dit Prieur de la Marne), député de la Marne, 1756-1827


Lazare Nicolas Marguerite Carnot, député du Pas-de-Calais, 1753-1823

(I think that his haircut is the fashion of the Empire though with the short hair with curls. I don't know what would be his hairstyle in 1793-1794. But judging from the others, what's fashionable in 1793-1794 is shoulder-length wavy hair, powdered hair, fringe on the forehead, or wigs.)

Claude-Antoine Prieur-Duvernois (dit Prieur de la Côte-d’Or), député de la Côte-d'Or, 1763-1832


Jacques Nicolas Billaud-Varenne, député de Paris, 1756-1819



Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois, député de Paris, 1749-1796



I would like to say I love their hairstyle. And clothing. And everything. Well, apart from most of these men for what they *are*, for strictly political and ideological reasons. I just like the République jacobine and its fashion ♥


Just in case that interests anyone, I amused myself with statistics. Here are how old the members of the CSP were in 1794 (which also happened to be the final age reached for four members in there -- let's not come back on this):

Lindet: 48.
Collot: 45.
Saint-André: 45.
Carnot: 41.
Barère: 39.
Couthon: 39 (would have been).
Prieur de la Marne: 38.
Billaud: 38.
Robespierre: 36.
Hérault: 35 (would have been).
Prieur de la Côte d'Or: 31.
Saint-Just: 27 (would have been).


Which gives the CSP the average age of: 38,5 years old. Hm, I don't know if that's young or not for an "executive". I'm pretty sure it's younger than most executives we have in western countries right now though... Okay, so it's Saint-Just's fault: he considerably brings down the whole average. :P

Comments

[lucilla-1789.livejournal.com]

Very young for politicians on today's stardards. But then, life expectancy in those days was not very long and not so many old people around...most of the people in power were around that agegroup

So Carnot made it to the Empire?

[livviebway.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I seem to recall he worked with Napoleon up until he declared himself Emperor, at which point he retired. But during the 100 Days he threw in his lot with Napoleon and thus got screwed and exiled as a regicide.

Gorgeous portraits!

[(Anonymous)]

Greatly enjoyed viewing these, thank you so much for this pleasure.
Billaud-Varenne (the oil painting) may not be him. This portrait does not look like Nicolas and more importantly does not feel like him. Where does this portrait come from? Thank you.

Elisabeth-Charlotte

Re: Gorgeous portraits!

[maelicia.livejournal.com]

I found it on his French wikipédia article: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Nicolas_Billaud-Varenne

The portrait is said to be by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, around 1790, which seems likely.

Re: Gorgeous portraits!

[hanriotfran.livejournal.com]

I think that the last one must not be Nicolas Billaud-Varenne. I'm *almost* sure of it, since I have seen some others and he is not similar to none of them. But maybe is his hairdo...I've always imagined him as he is shown in the second portrait.

I also love Jacobin period fashion. Women and men looked very stylish in these kind of clothes...

Hanriotfran (Vanesa)

Re: Gorgeous portraits!

[(Anonymous)]

The man in the portrait looks older than 34 (this is the age Billaud was in 1790). He looks around fifty to me.

His features are like Billaud's, but the facial expression/ personality somehow seem different. I wonder if this could not be Billaud's father, lawyer in La Rochelle.