revolution_fr | (no subject)

Hello. Some little things - which I suppose are easier to take for granted...

First: I somehow feel guilty asking this, since it's not very useful either way (yes, let me deprecate myself a moment more) - else I might have brought it up earlier as it's been bothering me vaguely for years - but since I'd like to finally strike it off my 'wtf' list, I'm just going to put it out there: I recall reading on this site (incidentally, is it gone?) that Desmoulins was a "rumored" bisexual. Since then I have found this addressed in all of one place: Mantel's novel. Somehow, a work of fiction and the internet just don't do it for me, so I was wondering if anyone here knows of any reference to Camille's sexuality coming from a legit source? Or anything that isn't fictional outright, at least? Or is it just something the author of that site might have absorbed from fiction? Or both?!

Second: Okay, maybe this is just silly. But can anyone tell me more about the lock of Robespierre's hair at the Musée Carnavalet? ...and why it's white?

By the way, I'd like to suggest that since this community has separate tags under "desmoulins" and "camille desmoulins" that they be merged together. (Of course I am stupid about such things.)

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I think that makes sense - I'm sure as his sister it wouldn't have been too difficult to obtain, anyway. I suppose we don't know when it was put into that case, either - it seems awfully impersonal for a family keepsake, so maybe that was added after the lock fell into someone else's hands.

I expect any number of things could have happened with the portrait in the past century or so, so I won't worry about it - I only got a bit confused because I don't recall ever seeing a portrait of Robespierre with any discernible hair colour ~~unless one counts Madame Tussaud's~~ (not that I'm so on top of these things). But I can tell you that they acquired the 'stripey' portrait in 1883 ~~okay, I'll stop cuddling the catalogue now. But after lugging it across the pond I must get some use out of it.~~

I didn't see the bloodstained call to arms, which rather distressed me. I don't think I would have just missed it, but I've no idea what might have happened to it.

Re - the call to arms. It's so famous, I'm surprised if it isn't on display, but I did read a comment from someone who visited a couple of years ago saying it used to be on display but wasn't there last time they went. I hope it hasn't been stolen, because I've always wanted to see it! (is it in the catalogue? If not, it may be kept in their archives as some ink reacts with paper and actually can eat through it!)

My favourite thing in the London science museum - John Dee's 'scrying glass' (he was an Elizabethan necromancer and model for Prospero) - was stolen recently. I think I'm probably the only person who cared!

Funny you mention this! It WAS there several years ago when I first came to Paris and when I went to the Carnavalet a few days ago I looked for it and it was gone. They've replaced it with that painting of Thermidor. I asked the guard if he knew what had happened to the letter and he said, "They removed it." That's all. I stupidly forgot to ask if it was a permanent switch or what, but seeing as how it's been gone for several years...

So I wasn't imagining things! And I would so like to see it. Then again, I was probably at romantic swooning point as it was, so maybe it's just as well.

It's still mentioned in the online tourist guides (as of 2007) as one of their most famous items, so it seems mad not to display it, unless they've moved it somewhere darker to preserve it better! Huet says it was in a cabinet in the 80's, but then they had a refit and put it on a wall or something - is that where you saw it?

It was on the wall when I saw it. I'm going to try to get an internship at the Carnavalet if at all possible, in which case I might be able to tell you more. If not, I will definitely be back there and on a hunt to find out what has happened to it.

That would be a fab place to work! They've had their backstage archives on TV here a couple of times recently, with their photography collection - I imagine only a fraction of what they have in there gets displayed.

I don't recall ever seeing a portrait of Robespierre with any discernible hair colour
There are several though, including the famous anonymous one in the Carnavalet, if you look closely enough. (You can see it's reddish-brown just in front of his ear.)

I do believe it! I just personally can't recall any (and I have not scrutinised that one so closely). But then, I am not a great expert on said Robespierre anyway. :/

I don't mean to imply that you don't; I merely wanted to note, since you seemed unaware of the fact, that there are several portraits out there that do show the color of his hair.