An 18th century transgender in the service of King Louis XV

Éon de Beaumont, Charles, French diplomat, spy, soldier and Freemason (1728-1810). An archive of 14 receipts or ledger pages for household expenses, mostly unsigned.

Tonnere, 1779-1785.

Various formats. Altogether 16 ff.

 12,500.00

Including 7 autograph documents on large Folio sheets signed, partly with initials, and partly in the third person within the text, varying between "Mlle la ch're D'Eon," "La ch're D'Eon," and "D.". Ledger pages or receipts, listing prices paid or owed for firewood, lumber, food, clothing and other items, documenting the daily life of an 18th century crossdresser.

Éon de Beaumont was a French transsexual political adventurer, secret agent of Louis XV in Russia (1755), then minister to England. The term "eonism" denoting the tendency to adopt the costume and manners of the opposite sex, is derived from his name. Despite d'Éon's wearing a dragoon's uniform all the time, there were rumors that he was actually a woman, and a betting pool was started on the London Stock Exchange about his true sex. D'Éon finally claimed to be physically not a man, but a woman, and demanded recognition by the government as such. King Louis XVI and his court complied, but demanded that d'Éon dress appropriately and wear women's clothing. D'Éon agreed, especially when the king granted him funds for a new wardrobe. Overall, Charles d’Éon spent his first 49 years as a man, and his last 33 years as a woman. Upon death, a council of physicians discovered that d'Éon's body was anatomically male.

Stock Code: BN#28394 Tag: