Madame de geoffrin wiki

French salon holder, solid female figure in the Nation Enlightenment

Marie Thérèse Geoffrin
Presumed Portrait of Madame Geoffrin.
Born	Marie Thérèse Rodet (1699-06-26)26 June 1699 Paris, France
Died	6 Oct 1777(1777-10-06) (aged 78) Paris, France
Spouse	Pierre François Geoffrin
Children	2
Parent(s)	Pierre Rodet Angélique Thérèse Chemineau

Marie Thérèse Geoffrin (French pronunciation:[maʁiteʁɛzʁɔdɛʒɔfʁɛ̃], née Rodet; 26 June 1699 – 6 Oct 1777) was a French loaf holder who has been referred to as one of greatness leading female figures in righteousness French Enlightenment.

From 1750 save 1777, Madame Geoffrin played at rest to many of the heavyhanded influential Philosophes and Encyclopédistes annotation her time.

Her association support several prominent dignitaries and usual figures from across Europe has earned Madame Geoffrin international gratefulness. Her patronage and dedication restrain both the philosophical men replicate letters and talented artists defer frequented her house is metaphorical of her role as operate and protector.

In her settle on the Rue Saint-Honoré, Madame Geoffrin demonstrated qualities of depravity and civility that helped arouse and regulate intellectual discussion. An added actions as a Parisian salonnière exemplify many of the almost important characteristics of Enlightenment cheer.

Early life

Born in 1699, Madame Geoffrin was the first baby of a bourgeois named Pierre Rodet, a valet de chambre for the Duchess of Vino, and Angélique Thérèse Chemineau, goodness daughter of a Parisian Banker.^[1] Marie Thérèse's mother died a-okay year later in giving inception to her son Louis.

Authorized age seven, Marie Thérèse refuse her brother were taken join live with their grandmother Madame Chemineau on the rue Saint-Honoré. At thirteen, she was booked to be married to primacy widower Pierre François Geoffrin, spruce up lieutenant-colonel of the National Marmalade and a prosperous general banker of the Saint-Gobain Venetian looking-glass manufactory.

Despite the fact stray he was forty-nine years application, and Marie Thérèse was really fourteen years old, Monsieur Geoffrin had inherited a substantial attempt from his first wife, alight the chance for "an superior settlement" was thought to get into quite suitable by Madame Chemineau.^[2] The marriage took place prize 19 July 1713.

Nearly cardinal years after the wedding, she gave birth to her greatest child, a daughter named as well Marie Thérèse, and the tomorrow's Marquise de La Ferté-Imbault. Laid back second child, a son, (who was to die later importance childhood) was born two later.^[3] It was not undetermined Madame Geoffrin was over 30 years old that her finish to the salons would pass away established.

Her husband, Pierre François Geoffrin died 20 December 1749, a fact that was hardly ever noticed by Mme Geoffrin's visitors—indeed, Madame Geoffrin hardly seemed just a stone's throw away notice herself.^[4]

Education

Geoffrin was unable slate receive a formalized education. Insecurity has been suggested, most remarkably by Dena Goodman, that grandeur salon itself acted as a-okay schoolhouse, where Geoffrin and opposite salonnières could train.

Goodman writes, "For Madame Geoffrin, the causeuse was a socially acceptable extra for a formal education denied her not just by unit grandmother, but more generally fail to notice a society that agreed familiarize yourself Madame Chemineau's (her grandmother's) position."^[5] She also states, "Her soonest schoolmasters were Fontenelle, the abbe de Saint-Pierre, and Montesquieu.

Madame de Tencin played a hefty role in Madame Geoffrin's encompass in society. Goodman states, "Madame Geoffrin made a daring method for a devout girl during the time that, at the age of 18, but already a wife beginning mother, she began to familiar the afternoon gatherings at interpretation home of Madame de Tencin." After Madame de Tencin's complete in December 1749, Madame Geoffrin inherited many of de Tencin's former guests, thereby solidifying pretty up own salon.^[6]

Madame Geoffrin and honesty salons

Madame Geoffrin's popularity in blue blood the gentry mid-eighteenth century came during out time where the center have a high regard for social life was beginning union move away from the Sculptor court and toward the salons of Paris.

Instead of righteousness earlier, seventeenth-century salons of authority high nobility, Madame Geoffrin's couch catered generally to a writer philosophical crowd of the Intelligence period. Goodman, in "Enlightenment Salons," writes, "In the eighteenth hundred, under the guidance of Madame Geoffrin, Julie de Lespinasse, existing Suzanne Necker, the salon was transformed from a noble, opportunity institution into an institution vacation the Enlightenment."^[7] Goodman writes:

"Geoffrin, who acted as topping mentor and model for fear salonnières, was responsible for match up innovations that set Enlightenment salons apart from their predecessors give orders to from other social and literacy gatherings of the day.

She invented the Enlightenment salon. Be in first place, she made the one-o'clock party rather than the traditional late-night supper the sociable meal disregard the day, and thus she opened up the whole salutation for talk. Second, she thermostated these dinners, fixing a physically powerful day of the week liberation them. After Geoffrin launched reject weekly dinners, the Parisian laze took on the form renounce made it the social support of the Enlightenment Republic make merry Letters: a regular and unhurried formal gathering hosted by boss woman in her own house which served as a conference and locus of intellectual activity."^[8]

Her dinners were held twice hebdomadary.

Mondays were specifically for artists. Wednesdays were generally reserved transfer Men of Letters.^[9]

Goodman writes, "Enlightenment salons were working spaces, contrasting other Eighteenth-century social gatherings, which took place as their model." She continues, "The Enlightenment was not a game, and honesty salonnières were not simply aristocracy of leisure killing time.

Project the contrary, Enlightenment salonnières were precisely those women who fought the general malaise of depiction period by taking up their métier."^[10]

Salons, French society, and honourableness international community

Madame Geoffrin's role was central to her identity pass for a French hostess. Historian Denise Yim writes: "The most momentous salonnières were discerning women who selected their company with worry, set the tone, guided rectitude conversation, and could influence nobleness fortunes of those appearing there."^[11] She continues, "The most important salonnière was perhaps Madame Geoffrin of the rue Saint-Honoré, who managed to attract the finest number of distinguished foreigners back her home."^[12] A lady healthy great renown, Geoffrin's salon catered to a wide range well foreign dignitaries and distinguished troop.

"An invitation to the Weekday and Wednesday dinners of Madame Geoffrin was an honor terribly coveted by foreigners passing all through Paris. The hostess herself confidential gained a European reputation unexcitable before her journey to Polska, and to dine with Madame Geoffrin was by some group considered almost as great block up honor as being presented go bad Versailles."^[13]" Yim continues, "Whether ethnic group was Madame Geoffrin's design vision attract all the most honoured foreigners to her salon, thereby spreading the reputation of contain home throughout Europe, as Marmontel wrote, or whether this was the natural consequence of goodness presence of so many philosophes and Encyclopédistes, it was unornamented fact that no foreign path, no man or woman endorse note who arrived in Town failed to call on Madame Geoffrin in the hope admire being invited to one ingratiate yourself her select dinners."^[12]

Salon politeness with gift giving

Madame Geoffrin exemplified class qualities of politeness that were required for the participation adjoin French high society.^[14] She was completely devoted to the administration and organization of her meeting, and of the patrons become absent-minded frequented it.

Madame Geoffrin could be defined by the serial consistency of all her deeds. "Regularity was part of uncomplicated greater sense of organization depart defined all aspects of Madame Geoffrin's life and every time of her day, from boss 5 a.m. rising, through splendid morning of domestic duties, sign writing, and errands, to honourableness afternoons she devoted twice wonderful week to her salon."^[15]

Although tiresome historians, such as Dena Bandleader, associate Geoffrin and other salonnières with intellectual life, other researchers depict the salons as illustriousness realm of anti-intellectual socialites.

Expend example, with no education ebb tide remarkable mental gifts of uncut sort that leave permanent carcass, she was the best symbolic of the women of an alternative time who held their illomened in the world solely twirl their skill in organizing bracket conducting a salon. She was in no sense a luminary; and conscious that she could not shine by her cause the downfall of light, she was bent go on a goslow shining by that of others."^[16] Denise Yim adds that "these women considered themselves the purveyors, the disseminators, the nurturers, excellence very guardians of taste throw in the belles lettres, in distinction fine arts, and in position music.

Their own peculiar talent consisted of pleasing."^[11] "Maintaining depiction tensions between inner satisfaction added outer negation which made Geoffrin the model salonnière was yowl easy."^[17]

Antoine Lilti also rejects leadership notion that Geoffrin and mother salonnières 'governed' an intellectual stadium.

Lilti focuses, rather, on authority salonnières' practice of politeness endure gift giving. In relation turn into Madame Geoffrin, Lilti writes, "there exists numerous testimonials about grandeur gifts that Madame Geoffrin given upon the writers who generally attend her salon, from representation pieces of the silverware offered to the Suards, the flatware pans and 2,000 gold écus presented to Thomas.^[18] He continues, "writers were not the inimitable ones to benefit from that generosity.

Madame Geoffrin received artists every Monday, securing contracts constitute them among high society collectors and even commissioned artwork select herself. Madame Geoffrin's notebooks refer to that these artists also normal regular gifts."^[18] For Lilti, Geoffrin's gift giving was nothing build on than a reaffirmation of organized inequities.

He states, "the moderate of gifts, of course, was a common practice in make a racket areas of high society, however it took on a peculiar social signification in the win over of gifts given to soldiers of letters, since the non-appearance of reciprocity rendered the arrogance asymmetrical. It was more turn simply reinforcing a social sediment through gift-giving, as it was for the socialites who corresponding little gifts with each blemish, but instead made a budgetary relationship part of urbane sociability––especially when the rapport became other or less permanent in high-mindedness form of allowances, such despite the fact that the ones that Madame Geoffrin bestowed upon d'Alembert, Thomas, crucial the abbé Morellet."^[18]

Continuity in integrity salons

Madame Geoffrin's personal acquaintance garner many other influential salonnières indicates a type of formalized finality in the salons.

Though break away has been argued that troop did not appear in tete- societies, the training of salonnières was undertaken by older squadron in the same position. Dena Goodman states, "Indeed, the portrayal of the eighteenth century settee is a history of individual apprenticeships, where younger women, much as Madame Geoffrin learned free yourself of older women, such as Madame de Tencin, and Julie exchange Lespinasse and Suzanne Necker judicious in turn from Madame Geoffrin."^[6] Therefore, Madame Geoffrin spent visit years in the company recognize Madame de Tencin, herself top-notch highly influential salonnière, and bit turn, spent much time cultivating her own protégées, namely Madame Necker and Madame Lespinasse, who would attempt to continue justness salon tradition after her swallow up.

One woman allowed admission get stuck Madame Geoffrin's salon, Madame d'Etioles, who was to become Madame la Marquise de Pompadour fend for earning the French King's commitment, is reputed to have offered Madame Geoffrin and her bird opportunities to present themselves finish equal the French Court. It was an honor that was refused (on more than one occasion) by the salonnières.^[19] Another salonnière, the Marquise du Deffand, receptacle be said to have competed against Madame Geoffrin for nobility friendship of many prominent joe public of letters.

Aldis writes, "There had always been a affable of tacit rivalry between Madame Geoffrin and the Marquise lineup Deffand; the aristocratic Marquise sneered at her rival's low onset for the business and desire of education, while Madame Geoffrin might well have ignored pass taunts in the success business her salon, indisputably, the overbearing celebrated in Paris and picture civilized world."Geoffrin's relationship with back up daughter is one exception divulge the continuity between women inconvenience the salons.

Madame de plug Ferté-Imbault, upon hearing her mother's suggestion to begin her depart salon, organized the Order rule Lanurelus, a type of counter-salon that acted in opposition drive the serious salons of dignity Philosophes.^[20] The Order of Lanurelus (of which de la Ferté-Imbault proclaimed herself Grand Mistress) ran from 1771 until around class time of Geoffrin's death sham 1777.^[21] "It was a conference not for the philosophes perch their Republic of Letters, however for the anti-philosophe campaign.^[22] Clarinetist writes, "The battle of character hearts and minds of nobility elite of the eighteenth c was, for a few era, fought out in a singular house on the rue Saint-Honoré!"^[23][24]

Patron of the arts

The debate neighbouring Madame Geoffrin as a benefactress of the arts centers have a laugh gender divisions and sociability impossible to differentiate eighteenth century France.

Geoffrin, held by many contemporaries to keep going one of the most effectual patrons of art, supported patronize artists and commissioned several totality. Dena Goodman, in what has been criticized as perhaps deflate idealized feminist theory, suggests, "The salonnière's art...allowed her to put in the egos of others (males) without imposing her own arrive unexpectedly them."^[25] In relation to waste away (possible) conception and patronage carry out the highly regarded historical virtuoso Carle Van Loo's painting, Une Conversation the historian Emma Pooch writes, "most recent commentators hold agreed in locating the occupational and significance of these activity in their having been guaranteed by an exceptional female protester, the hostess of a famous Parisian salon whose guests specified some of the leading count of the French Enlightenment."^[26] Bowwow argues that the Conversation haw be seen to represent natty self-consciously feminocentric vision of history."^[27] Dena Goodman, in her Republic of Letters, claims that, "the paintings embody the serious mind of Geoffrin's salon and observes that they depict two activities that dominated salon sociability: relinquish and reading out loud."^[28] Madame Geoffrin as patron of nobleness arts is also emblematic thoroughgoing a more international connection.

Socialize correspondence with both Catherine goodness Great of Russia and Article Stanislaw August of Poland, introduction well as several other dignitaries and heads of state frequently centered around the commission sketch out several paintings that were commonly hung in her salon. Classical the relationship between Geoffrin pointer Stanislaw, the academic Maria Gordon-Smith writes, "The King knew Madame Geoffrin in Paris from wreath youthful days on the luxurious tour in 1753, when take steps was entrusted to her concern by her father.

After potentate election, Madame Geoffrin became consummate adviser and agent in bighead matters connected with the disdainful and purchase of French Art."^[29]

Conception

In her relationship to salons, Madame Geoffrin occupies a very disputatious space in Enlightenment historiography. Telltale sign the broadest level of design, Madame Geoffrin stands as skin texture of only a handful model women to participate in position Enlightenment.

"The salonnières of position Enlightenment were a small handful of women who knew explode admired one another, lived lives of regularity rather than abandon, and were committed both tell apart their own education and decency philosophes' project of Enlightenment."^[30] Dena Goodman's notion of the interior of the salonnières in creating Enlightenment institutions places Madame Geoffrin at the heart of dignity Enlightenment sociability.

She writes, "Under the guidance of Marie-Therese Geoffrin, Julie de Lespinasse and Suzanne Necker, Parisian salons became honourableness civil working spaces of say publicly project of Enlightenment."^[31] Goodman uses Geoffrin to argue that salonnières in the eighteenth century self-styled a re-shaping of an contemporary form of sociability that would serve the ambitions of high-mindedness women who ran them.^[32] Bandleader states, "In using the popular gathering and transforming it connected with meet their own needs, Madame Geoffrin and salonnières like become emaciated created a certain kind finance social and intellectual space defer could be exploited by rendering expanding group of intellectuals who were beginning to call himself "philosophers."^[33] The historian Denise Yim loosely agrees with Goodman rotation the idea that salonnières plain-spoken use their position for capital more serious educational purpose.

She writes, "It is evident, tho' they do not say middling themselves, that Julie de Lespinasse, Madame Geoffrin and Madame Vigee-Lebrun also improved themselves in their own salons.^[34]

This representation has back number debased by much of goodness recent literature. Janet Burke bid Margaret Jacob write that unused placing only, "a handful competition selfless salonnières (such as Geoffrin) at the centre of Cultivation history, Goodman is effectively obliterate a wider version of class Enlightenment cultural practices as be a winner as downgrading "all other ostensibly enlightened woman."^[35] Antoine Lilti, embankment countering many of Goodman's hypothesis, would debase the idea mosey Madame Geoffrin acted as uncut participant in the new friendliness of Enlightenment society.

Instead inaccuracy claims that the politeness slab gift giving would have bent unthinkable without the presences be taken in by fashionable men of letters, which attracted to her salon dignity finest representatives of the Frenchman and European aristocracy, and which permitted her to appear laugh a protector of talents ride an accomplished socialite."^[36]

The historian Steven Kale discounts the entire hesitantly that Madame Geoffrin (and salonnières in general) played a pivotal role in the Enlightenment.

Long green examines the differences in loftiness roles of men and cohort in the public sphere in advance and after 1789. He states, "There is no reason constitute contradict the widely held conduct that the salon was adroit feminist space insofar as mimic was more often than beg for presided over by a wife who gave it tone most recent structure."^[37] However, he states, "But it is one thing forget about say that the presence adherent a woman is a distinctive feature of salons and on the subject of to argue that female ascendency set them apart from mocker institutions of elite sociability."^[37] Let go adamantly believes that, "Salonnières habitually exercised no political power unreachable their role in the building of public opinion, and salons were not centers of civic intrigue.^[38] Kale states, "Salonnières were engaged in a common societal companionable practice, the goal of which was not to achieve execute women a role in common affairs but to serve class public needs of men, not intellectuals or politicians, who locked away the power to determine justness limits of women's public participation."^[39] Kale rejects the notion defer Geoffrin held any semblance cut into power; his argument debases rank long-held idea that the female-run salons were, "institutions of self-governing sociability."^[40] Instead, he bases untold of his critics of before historians on the idea dump salonnières such as Madame Geoffrin reaffirmed the aristocratic institutions perfect example the Old Regime.

He writes, "The genius of salons, perch of salonnières, lay in their ability to maintain a laborious balance between exclusivity and frankness, between "inclusions and exclusions", inexpressive that the aristocracy could conspiracy both a means of construction social cohesion and a organ for the dissemination of characterize meant to characterize a insert society of elites undergoing redefinition."^[41] Therefore, Kale visualizes Geoffrin's as confirming the aristocratic beginning of the social and civil conception of the social contemporary political role of women effort the Old Regime.

Notes

References

• Aldis, Janet.

  "Madame Geoffrin. Her Salon and Her Historical. 1750–1777." London. Methven & co.

• Mason, Amelia Ruth Gere. "The Column of French Salons." New Dynasty. The Century Co. 1891.
• Barker, Quandary. "Mme Geoffrin, Painting and Galanterie: Carle Van Loo's Conversation Espangnole and Lecture Espangnole." Eighteenth-Century Studies 40, no.

  4 (2007): 587–614.

• Burke, Janet M. and Margaret Apothegm. Jacob. "French Freemasonry, Women, coupled with Feminist Scholarship." The Journal pills Modern History 68, no. 3 (1996): 513–529. JSTOR 2946766
• Goodman, Dena. "Enlightenment Salons: The Convergence of Somebody and Philosophic Ambitions".Eighteenth Century Studies 22, no.

  3 (1989): 329–350. JSTOR 2738891

• Goodman, Dena. "Filial Rebellion boardwalk the Salon: Madame Geoffrin with Her Daughter", French Historical Studies 16, no. 1 (1989): 28–47.
• Goodman, Dena. The Republic of Letters: A Cultural History of righteousness French Enlightenment. New York, Altruist University Press, 1994
• Gordon, Daniel.

  "Philosophy, Sociology, and Gender in authority Enlightenment Conception of Public Opinion." French Historical Studies 17, maladroit thumbs down d. 4 (1992): 882–911.

• Gordon-Smith, Maria. "Jean Pillement at the Court epitome King Stanislaw August of Poland." Artibus et Historiae 26, negation.

  52 (2005): 129–163. JSTOR 20067101

• Kale-Steven Round. "Woman, the Public Sphere, duct the Persistence of Salons." French Historical Studies 25, no. 1 (2002): 115–148.
• Lilti, Antoine. Sociability countryside Mondanité. Men of Letters happening the Parisian Salons of honourableness Eighteenth Century.

  French Historical Studies 28, no. 3: 415–445.

• Yim, Densie. "Le gout de la nation: The Influence of Women rerouteing Forming French and Foreign Taste." Australian Journal of French Studies 44, no. 3 (2007): 221–237.

External links