Sheer Animal Magentism

[dangermousie]

And here comes my latest in the series of posts of no interest to anyone except aliterati

Combining French Revolution and tackiness in staggering fashion, I present to you revolutionary figures with magnetic hair. Yes indeed. Have you always wondered what Robespierre would look like bald? or Danton with a handlebar mustache? Now you can find out, courtesy of Ebay.

Robespierre

Danton

Mirabeau

Saint-Just

Marat

Camille Desmoulins

Lucile Desmoulins

In case you are interested in what they really looked like,

Robespierre:



Danton:



Saint-Just:



Camille:



Lucille:



And because I am on the French revolution kick, here is a portrait of Andre Chenier. Andre Chenier was a poet, executed during the Reign of Terror (here is an Encyclopedia Britannica article on him) I do love his widely quoted statement: "What is virtue? Reason put into practice. Talent? Reason expressed with brilliance. Soul? Reason delicately put forth. And genius is sublime reason."

Here are his poems in French. I don't read French well at all, so here are translations into Russian Charlotte Corday, Young Captive (it's the third poem on the list). Interestingly, both Pushkin and Tsvetayeva, very major Russian poets were very taken with Chenier, I think probably as an idea of the poet-revolutionary. They wrote poems about him, Pushkin's poem and Tsvetayava's poem are on line. They are, of course, in Russian. I am sure there are English translations of those as well as of Chenier's own poems, but I couldn't find those on-line. There has also been an opera about the guy.




Just for crumpeteer Lavoisier

Lavoisier and Wife:




Brissot:



Fabre d'Eglatine:




Charlotte Corday, killer of Marat:



Lafayette:



Madame Roland:



Terese Tallien, mistress/wife of Tallien and a friend of Josephine's. According to a very fun made-for-TV French flick, Tallien overthrew Robespierre to save his OTP from the guillotine. I am sure her being in jail was part of his issues, but this not being Bollywood, I doubt the movie was exactly on point :) And in a cynical note, they divorced eventually.

Comments

[elspethsheir.livejournal.com]

Oooo, I think that you would find the Naish book fascinating... if you can access a university library, they're likely to carry it.

The magnetic hair almost broke my spirit. SO BAD.

I do read French, and had a peek at the Chenier poems - they're lovely, particularly the elegies.

And where is the good doctor Guillotin? I studied a song about him and la Guillotine (not from the musical!) during the "Politics and Music" section of a History of Music class I took. It was a short and surprisingly sweet song. Probably because it was sung by a woman.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am sure I'd like the Naish book. I was a history major in college and old habits die hard...

magnetic hair almost broke my spirit. SO BAD.

What I want to know is who was the genius who came up with it? Really.

It was a short and surprisingly sweet song. Probably because it was sung by a woman.

How interesting. Must google for it!

[elspethsheir.livejournal.com]

I always wanted to study more History. Maybe I'll sneak some classes in now that I'm back at school. Hmmm.

I - the hair - it just - the write-ups for each one - it's so - Danton with a handlebar mustache would be hours of entertainment, though! (The Marat one made me think "Poor old Marat" and then that Judy Collins song came, unbidden, to my head.)

The Guillotine song sounds a bit like "Sur le pont d'Avignon", very upbeat. It's about Guillotin and his Hippocratic oath and this 'humane killing machine' to alleviate the stress of the executioner.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

The magnetic hair! Hours of very disturbing fun.

I haven't read a lot of Chenier, but I love the little I have read. And the opera is not that good, but entertaining nonetheless.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard the opera, though I'd seen bits of it on TV.

As to the hair, I really want to know who thought it was a good idea. Honest!

[aliterati.livejournal.com]

Yeah, 'kay, that literally made me cry out. Thanks. ;p

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

You knooooow what you are getting for your birthday!!!

That's right. Bald Robespierre...

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Danton, played by Chris Farley, and Camille, played by Gary Oldman.

I love Lavoisier and his wife. They seem like they really were in love with each other and very happily married. He was so brilliant and his death was such a waste.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Danton, played by Chris Farley, and Camille, played by Gary Oldman.

ROFL. Well, at least Oldman has practice playing crazy prisoners :D

He was so brilliant and his death was such a waste.

I know. Leave the scientists alone!