Was it really true?

[missweirdness.livejournal.com]

Did Robespierre really have glasses that were tinted green? Or was it some author's imagination? I've read it some books and they mentioned this and some others don't. And i was wondering if it was true or not. It sounds cool. Though it bogs my mind really.

I was just wondering about these weird details; Because i didn't think it was possible back then to do that. XD

Comments

[estellacat.livejournal.com]

I've seen a lot of references to it in history books, but as far as primary sources I can't add much to what's already here, except Augustin Cabanès' Cabinet secret de l'histoire has this reference (translated by me):

"Miss Williams, in her Memories, claims that he [Robespierre] wore at once green spectacles to rest his gaze and a pince-nez, that he sometimes put in front of his glasses in order to gaze upon his listeners."

Also, according to an issue of the AHRF from 1923, in an article entitled "Le capitaine Linde chez Robespierre," the former is supposed to have seen the latter wearing green glasses.

And Artarit, for once, asks a pertinent question after citing the note on Gérard's sketch of him which reads (my translation, again): "Green eyes, pale coloring, nankeen suit with green stripes, blue and white striped waistcoat, red and white striped cravat." He wonders, "Were the glasses really green? Or were they really confused with his eyes?" after which he cites the Miss Williams mentioned above.

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

The English boy quoted above describes Robespierre's eyes as 'fawn', though I'd think the artist's notes would be more reliable, as, if the sketch was a prep to be worked up for a portrait, the eyes are the pivotal point. Charlotte's eyes seem to be blue-green-grey on the portrait maelicia posted a while ago: http://pics.livejournal.com/maelicia/pic/001ag8qe . I suppose he could be described as cat-like regardless of eye colour, and 'tiger' seems to be a popular term of abuse or awe at the time, though I wondered if eye-colour was the source of the story that he was Irish (unusual, typically Irish eye colour, coupled with a desire to claim no native frenchman could ever be so horrible - I suppose as part of the long tradition of that cross-channel attribution of sexual diseases, perversions etc, French pox, capote anglaise, French letter, vice anglais etc.! )

I still see 'sea green Incorruptible' turn up a lot in British newspapers, tv etc - Carlyle, presumably derived from de Stael and her vampire-Lestat veiny Robespierre, seems to have set that one in stone, whatever the truth is. How reliable is the source Hilary Mantel uses in the quote for her TLS essay title, 'If you had seen his green eyes'?