(no subject)

[misatheredpanda.livejournal.com]

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.)

Comments

[estellacat.livejournal.com]

Btw there's a reference in a review of an exhibition in New York 1989 of a sketch of him on the way to execuion - has anyone ever seen this, or know who it's by or if it's genuine?
I have a copy of the book they made from that exhibition, which has that sketch, among others. I have no reason to suspect it's not genuine, thought they attribute it to David, which I doubt somewhat, given that he was in hiding at the time. Anyway, I think the only reason they make that attribution is that they assume anyone else would have made a grosteque caricature by that point, and that's not really the case with the drawing. I can post it, if you like, as soon as I get my scanner up and running.

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Yes, that would be great! (if that's the appropriate word for such an unhappy subject!). Yes, I doubt David would have the time or the inclination at that point!

[estellacat.livejournal.com]

I'll have to do that then, along with the other sketches--there are a few of Couthon as well.

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Yay! There's not much on Couthon around - amazingly, even my so-called socialist/Trot/what-you-will friends in official disability rights groups hadn't heard of him, or assumed he was a figment of Wajda's imagination!

[estellacat.livejournal.com]

No, there's not. It's very sad. But even sadder that your friends could think Wajda made him up! :O