Delesseps Family: Child Rearing


Figure 1.--This illustration shows Delesseps being interviewed at his Windsor Hotel in New York on March 20, 1880. The article was published in "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper". The interesting point is that while the interview was being conducted, the family including the children are all around him. The children look like the girls, but two or boys. We know that only the three eldest De Lesseps children accompanied their parentsNew York in 1880. They arrived following their trip to Panama. So the Child by De Lesseps chair would be Matthieu, The other two, with their backs to us across the table are; Ferdinande the daughter and to her right the second son, Ishmael. We also see the nursemaids who accompanied the party. We can be fairly precise about the ages of the children and the date of the "Graphic" engraving. The children's birt dates are: Mathieu (October 12, 1870), Ishamael (November 27, 1871), and Ferdinand (December 3, 1872). The party arrived in Panama on December 30, 1879. They then reached New York from Panama on February 26, 1880). They left New York on April 2, 1880. We have taken the dates from the contemporary New York Times publications. The "Graphic" photo session was taken between the latter two dates so Mathieu would have been about 9 1/2, Ishmael would have been 8 and a bit, and Ferdinande a little more than 7 years old.

One interesting thought as we assess some of the images of the DeLesseps family is the insights they offer on child rearing. Unfortunately, we do not yet have much information on what family life was like. DeLesseps was one of the most acclaimed me of the age, at least untill the Panama fiasco. Thus there were many press interviews, including articles in illustrated magazines. There are thus some family type images. These are drawings because the technology for inexpensively published photographs had not yet been worked out in the 1870s. Some of the drawings appearing in magazines suggest significant differences between French and British approaches to child rearing. It is interesting to note that in magazine interview young children are present. I don't think this would be the case in an upper-class English family where the children spent most of their time in nurseries, looked after by nannies or other caregivers, and were only paraded out for special occasions. The Delesseps family was very prominant and given the size attracted considerable attention. Thus we have a few clues on family life, including how the children behaved.

Family Images

One interesting thought as we assess some of the images of the DeLesseps family is the insights they offer on child rearing. Here we see Delesseps on a New York visit (figure 1). Unfortunately, we do not yet have much information on what family life was like to help inderstand the images. DeLesseps was one of the most acclaimed me of the age, at least until the Panama fiasco. Thus there were many press interviews, including articles in illustrated magazines. There are thus some family type images. These are engravings because the technology for inexpensively published photographs had not yet been worked out in the 1870s. But mostv seem based on actual photographs.

Contemporary Children's Behavior

It is interesting to note that in magazine interview young children are present. I don't think this would be the case in an upper-class English family where the children spent most of their time in nurseries, looked after by nannies or other caregivers, and were only paraded out for special occasions. Images of important figures being interviewed with chikldren running around as pictured here are very rare.

Contemprary Standards

Some of the drawings appearing in magazines suggest significant differences between French and British approaches to child rearing. The same was probably true of Amererica. Actually the Delesseps were probably not a good example of how French children were suposed to act either. But hre we are not entirely sure. Perhaps our French readers can offer some insights.

Newspaper and Magazine Articles

The Delesseps family was very prominant and given the size attracted considerable attention. Thus we have a few clues on family life, including how the children behaved. We note an article from the Pall Mall Gazette. It was an English paper and the article was reprinted in the New York Times (September 12, 1882). The unidentified author is rather unkind to Mme. Lesseps. we are not sure just why. But he seems enchanted with the children. The article was entitled, "De Lesseps's Wife and Children: Paris letter to the Pall Mall Gazette". It read, "The amiable Mme de Lesseps is one of the most gulleless, disinterested, and transparent of women. She has seen little of her husband since he was in London. As she is also simple-minded, and literally idolizes M. de Lessesps, she took all that he said about Arabi and England without a single grain of salt. Mme. de Lesseps is still handome. She had the indolent suavity of the Creole, which is very attractive in the feverish society in which she moves. Although by no means aoman of fashion, she overtops the fashion world. As the mother of 10 children, the oldest of whom is only 12 years old, elle marque dans le monde l'arialen. They and she in the daytime are inseperable. The Hotel de Lesseps is in the Rue St. Florentin, not many doors off from Baron Alfonse Rothchild's. Its juvenile occupants play, when they are in town, in the gardens of the Tulleries. Theyv show in their games and romping matches the agility of cotcus choldren. One can only discern the daughters from the sons by their longer and more silky hair and larger eyes. All are dressed alike. Their clothing is minimalized as far as therequirements of European admit. Neck, arms, and legs to the upper line of the of the knee-cap are bare. The costume of each is a loose, sleeveless flannel frock, an undergarment, socks, and buskins, and a round hat. The hands are unaccustomed to gloves. The younger girls are images of their mother, and give promise of beauty. The eldest, Fernanda, i very like her father. In a country in which society is cast in a narrow bourgeols mold, and in which mere infnys are subjected to the tyrany of fashionable conventions, it is refreshing to meet with a group of children who are thoroghly childish, perfectly natural, and by virtue of hereditary influence perfectly civilized."






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Created: 6:32 AM 2/8/2005
Last updated: 6:56 AM 4/23/2009