Florine Prosper known as Jeanne Duval (; 18 November 1818 – 20 December 1868) was a Franco-Haitian actress. She was a key muse and longtime partner of poet and art critic Charles Baudelaire, with whom she had an on-again-off-again and tumultuous relationship spanning two decades.
An enigma Until recently, very little was known about Duval, as evidenced by the 2005 biography of Claude Pichois and Jean Ziegler on Baudelaire: "We do not know the family origins of Jeanne and up to her surname—if she had one".
Hypotheses about its geographical origins abounded: Jacmel in Haiti, Reunion Island, Mauritius, Mascarene Islands, India, South Africa, Madagascar, and Saint-Barts. For some scholars, Jeanne Duval's grandmother hailed from Haiti and her name was Marie Duval. Various accounts detail Marie Duval's journey, indicating that she may have been born in Guinea, sold into the slave trade, transported to Haiti, and subsequently sent to a brothel in Nantes, where she gave birth to Marie, Duval's mother, around 1789.
Contemporary observers completed the story and described Jeanne-Marie-Marthe Domingue (or Lemaire/Lemer), Jeanne Duval's mother, as "an old, respectable looking negress, with thick, greasy hair which tried in vain to twirl over her cheeks and ears". Sources have suggested that she might have been involved in prostitution. They assume that Jeanne Duval was probably of mixed African and French heritage, as her father and grandfather were likely Frenchmen, though she probably had minimal or no interaction with them.
Several surnames, such as Prosper, Lemer, and Lemaire, are associated with Jeanne Duval. Baudelaire, in his letters, often calls her "Mademoiselle Lemer" (in 1845, for example, in a letter to his family notary Ancelle), but also Jeanne Duval (1847 and 1859) and finally, "Jeanne Prosper" in 1864. Contemporary officials allegedly wrote the name Lerner or Lemaire on her mother's death certificate. Claude Pichois assumed that her actual name was Berthe, which she adopted as her stage name.
Her exact birthdate is debated. Most scholars agree it was around 1820. The only known document that indicated her age was the register of entries to a nursing home where Jeanne was hospitalized in 1859; it disappeared in a fire, but reportedly indicated that she was native to the island of Saint-Domingue and 32 years old, and so born in 1827.
Similarly, her physical appearance has been variously analyzed. The authors have frequently described Jeanne Duval as mixed-race and identified as métisse, mulatto, creole or negress, quadroon.
Early life Jeanne Duval was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on 18 November 1818 under the name of "Florine Prosper", as evidenced by her birth certificate.Genealogical Society of Utah, Haiti, Port-au-Prince, état civil, 1794-2012, microfilm n° 004245035, views 81 and 82 / 289. About the same document, her father was Jean Prosper, a innkeeper, and her mother was Jeanne Lemère, wife of Jean.
On 21 July 1821, Florine Prosper arrived in France from Haiti, on the three-master ship "L'Amédée" at the port of Le Havre, as indicated by the departmental register.Archives départementales de Seine-Maritime. Armement et désarmement des bâtiments (Departmental archives of Seine-Maritime. Arming and decommissioning of ships) - quartier du Havre (1821). view 974/1079 On the register, her mother is listed as a widow Lemaire, born in Angers (France) and 38 years old; she is accompanied by her daughters, Florine but also by an eldest daughter Gabrielle born in Paris, about 10 years old [ca. 1811]. This indicates that before her stay in Haiti, the mother, born in France, was married to a Mr. Lemaire, who lived in Paris at the birth of Gabrielle.
In light of this evidence, Madame Choupin deduces the following hypothesis: Jeanne’s mother, who says she was born in Angers in 1780, married in France to a Lemaire (Lemer) and had a daughter, Gabrielle, born in Paris in 1810 or 1811. Then, she leaves for Haiti for an unknown reason: is she leaving with her husband or is she already a widow? There, she marries Jean Prosper (Prospère), innkeeper, who is undoubtedly a mulatto and who is the father of Jeanne. Jeanne Duval is therefore indeed a quadroon, which assumes three white grandparents. Let us note in passing that the frequent name of "Black Venus" is somewhat exaggerated for one whose skin was not very colored. Jean Prosper dies in Haiti and Jeanne’s mother is forced to return to France on the three-master "L'Amédée".
Theatre career Duval performed as an actress in the Latin Quarter under the name "Mlle Berthe".
In 1838, she performed at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Antoine as La Comtesse in Rose et Colas. On December 2, 1838, Duval appeared in Le Système de mon oncle. During this time, Duval first encountered the photographer Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (pseudonym Nadar) leading to a short-lived affair that lasted from 1838 to 1839.
In 1840, Duval once again performed in Le Système de mon oncle. In 1842, Charles Baudelaire first saw Duval in a performance at the Théâtre du Panthéon. Baudelaire, captivated by Duval's charm, sent her flowers and requested a visit at her pleasure.
In 1844, Duval performed at the Théâtre de Belleville and demanded her unpaid wages from the director at the Théâtre du Panthéon. In 1845 and January 1846, Duval performed at the Théâtre Beaumarchais.
Appearance
Descriptions of Duval's appearance are often contradictory and steeped in racial stereotypes and biases. Male writers characterized her as lacking in intelligence while simultaneously admiring her as a "genuine tropical beauty". For example, Théodore de Banville believed she possessed "something of both the divine and the bestial."
She was often described as tall, distinctly exceeding the average height, as noted by Nadar. The recently discovered archives mention that it measured 1.70 m (5’ 7”) in 1865 when the average height of women seemed to be 1.60 m (5’ 3”).Archives préfecture de police de Paris (adress: 25 rue Baudin, 93310 Le Pré Saint-Gervais - France) register 325 W 63, record No. 3222 register 325 W 64, records No. 92 of April 14, 1865 and No. 1166 of April 28, 1868.
Furthermore, acquaintances mentioned that Duval's hair was "violently crimped" or "extremely tightly curled," likening it to a "possessed proliferation of the curling swathes of her mane the colour of black ink." Nadar called Duval's eyes "big as soup plates" and "even blacker" beneath her hair. Baudelaire would have described her in her later years as possessing "beautiful, soft, and nostalgic eyes that seem to long for the absent coconut palm." Duval had a straight nose and red lips described as "thick, fleshy, and lewd." Nadar accounts her nose as "small, delicate, possessing wings and nostrils shaped with exquisite finesse."
Commentators remarked that she had a relatively flat chest, a tiny waist, and "copiously curving thighs." Baudelaire, however, portrayed her with a generous bust, a slender waist, and gracefully curving hips.
Théodore de Banville observed that she moved with a "queenly gait, full of fierce grace." Prarond, however, characterized her as possessing an "awkward" disposition. Acquaintances described her voice as having a "sweetly hoarse inflection — bestially caressing."
Relationship with Baudelaire Early years
In April 1842, Baudelaire was 21 years old and met Jeanne Duval when she was 23.
In 1843, Duval lived with her mother at 6 rue de la Femme-sans-tête, a more refined location than Baudelaire's residence at the Hôtel Pimodan. During the early 1840s, Duval and Baudelaire started to appear together in Baudelaire's bohemian circles, which included visits to artist's studios like that of Honoré Daumier.
Two years after their initial meeting, Duval and Baudelaire decided to move in together. They cohabited for several years, during which Baudelaire provided financial support to her, although his family lawyer, Ancelle, managed his finances. Their apartments "were furnished in oriental style, with Eastern rugs and hangings as a suitable setting for her dusky beauty".
Baudelaire sought to cultivate Jeanne Duval to make her a more intellectually stimulating companion. Significant abuse and instability marked their relationship. Baudelaire struck Jeanne Duval, fracturing her skull with a vase, sold her jewellery and furniture, and drove her into debt. Although the evidence is lacking, some claim that during this time, Jeanne Duval took out loans in his name for alcohol and drugs. Without confidences that one or the other would have made, some imagine, in their relationship, Jeanne Duval frequently maintained a sense of power over Baudelaire, even amidst the abuse.
In June 1845, Baudelaire made an attempt on his life in a café while seated next to Duval. Yet, Baudelaire bequeathed his inheritance to Jeanne Duval in his will, referring to her as his "joy and repose".
Years of instability and entanglements (1846–1854)
During the late 1840s and early 1850s, the relationship between Duval and Baudelaire was marked by turmoil and continual changes. Between August 1846 and July 1847, Duval resided with Baudelaire in Neuilly. In October 1847, they journeyed together to Châteauroux. In 1848, Baudelaire asserted that his love for Duval was merely a matter of duty; however, in 1850, Duval accompanied Baudelaire to Dijon. Although they parted ways in 1852, Baudelaire remained financially supportive and visited her two to three times each month. Although they reconciled at some point between 1852 and 1853, Jeanne Duval had, according to Baudelaire, several other lovers, including her hairdresser. In November 1853, Duval's mother died, and Baudelaire covered the expenses for the funeral.
In December 1854, Duval and Baudelaire officially parted ways.
Gustave Courbet's The Artist's Studio (1855) In 1855, Gustave Courbet painted The Painter's Studio. The artwork illustrates three distinct groups: ordinary French citizens on the left, the Parisian artistic elite on the right, and the artist in the middle, serving as a mediator between the two factions. Courbet depicted Baudelaire as the final figure on the right, originally with Duval standing beside him, but Baudelaire later requested Duval be removed from the painting. Yet, Maria C. Scott writes, "A shadowy image of her emerges from the corner of the canvas ... just above Baudelaire's head, where the artist has scratched her out, for unknown reasons, but apparently at the poet's request".Scott, Maria C. "Portraits of the 'Black Venus': Newly discovered photographs of Baudelaire’s muse" TLS, January 23, 2006.
Later years (1855–1861)
By 1854, Jeanne Duval's own health had started to decline. In January 1855, Duval and Baudelaire reunited again, residing at 18 rue d'Angoulême-du-Temple. The couple separated once more in September 1856. In February 1859, Jeanne Duval relocated to 22 rue Beautreilly, where Baudelaire resided with her for six weeks.
On April 5, 1859, Duval experienced a stroke, likely due to syphilis, which left her partially paralyzed. She was hospitalised at the Maison de Santé Dubois on rue du Faubourg St-Denis. Baudelaire conveyed his embarrassment regarding Duval's condition to his mother, noting, “I forbade her to come and visit me here; it was my odious pride that made me do it.—I don't want people to see a woman of mine looking poor, sick, and scruffy, when they knew her as a beautiful, healthy, and elegant woman.” Baudelaire voiced his worries, saying he wished for her always to have money. In his correspondence with his mother, Baudelaire frequently embellished the stories to arouse sympathy and obtain financial aid because of Jeanne Duval’s illness.