Monthly Archives: June 2020

Decipher the duchess. Part 1b

Here are some more clues to help you work out what the duchess was writing on 16 July 1789, during a significant phase of the early Revolution in the capital. Go to part 1 in the blog below for an introduction to this entry.

Line 1 begins: A Paris…

Line 2: J’[essai] Mde que ce petit papier vous passe…

Line 3: armées. Je ne sai point encore, de vos amis tués…

Line 4: bien, mais je ne sais si nous sommes…

Line 5: mais je sais que tout noble…

Line 6: ecrirai si le seigr

[Square brackets] indicate a questionable or assumed reading of the manuscript by the Project team.

This should give you more of an idea of the shape of the duchess’ handwriting. Use this as a template for unpicking other sections of the entry. We will provide a full transcription and English translation next week. In the meantime, happy deciphering!

Virtual Private View: 4th June 2020, 3pm

While the covid-19 restrictions continue, UCL Art Museum are running a free virtual private view of their current exhibition on French Revolutionary prints (which features the duchess, as explained in earlier posts to this blog below). This private view is accessible by anyone, though you do need to register beforehand. The details can be found HERE.

Join Dr Nina Pearlman (UCL Art Museum), Dr Richard Taws (UCL Art History), and the playwright and UCL Creative Fellow Nicola Baldwin for a virtual tour of the exhibition Witnessing Terror: French Revolutionary Prints, 1792-1794. There will also be a short reading from a specially commissioned play, The Duchess, giving voice to Innocente-Catherine de Rougé d’Elbeuf herself. Further details about the play can be found on twitter: @Duchessrevolt.