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The Vicomte de Lesseps was one of the most famous Frenchman of the mid-19th Century because of his role in building the Suez Canal. De Lesseps remarried in 1869. He married Louise-Helene Autard de Bragard. She was a young daughter of an old friend. The family had an estate on Mauritius, a French Indian Ocean colony seized by the British. Thus her father was now a British subject. His dauhter, however, was educated in Paris. The two had met at one of the Emperess Eugéiene "Monday" affairs. He apparently fell in love with her at once. They engaged in a descret long-distance romance via letters as he was spending condierable time in Egypt working on the Suez Canal. They married just after the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869. Mlle was much younger than the Vicomte. He was then 64 and she was only 20 years old. This surely must have raised eye-brows even in France. Many may have thought that marrying such a young girl was inappropriate. Others may have felt that she was seeking to marry a leading citizen of France for social reasons. One biographer denies this, climing that she admired DeLesseps as a person. [Beatty, p. 262.] In our modern jaded age readers might take this asertion with some suspision. By all accounts it was, however, a happy marriage. Certainly 11 children does some degree of marital affection. Given her age, she did not know the many high officials that he knew nor did she know much concerning his work on the canal.
The Vicomte de Lesseps was one of the most famous and very wealthy Frenchman of the mid-19th Century because of his role in building the Suez Canal. His first wife Mlle Agathe Delamalle died (1853). So he spent about 15 years as a bachelor. He finally remarried (1869). His new wife was the very young Louise-Helene Autard de Bragard.
A relative tells us, "Helene was Huguenot, our mutual great grandfather Balthazar fought for the rights of Huguenots. He defended William of Orange in battle and was known as Capt Bragard - (to defend with his arm). He served under five kings and was the military ruler of a small town in the French Alps called Orpierre - where William went into hiding. The comment about the Huguenots (Protestants) is because my family are also Huguenots. The family lived in Mauritius, an Island off Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It, like many islands had a chequered history of sovereignty. It was first Portuguese, then French, and from 1810, British. So at the time of her marriage to Ferdinand she was a British subject. The French referred to her family as 'Creoles'. This was not that they were half castes, but merely French born in foreign parts." [Autard]
Louise-Helene Autard de Bragard was a young daughter of an old friend. The family had an estate on Mauritius, a French Indian Ocean colony seized by the British. Thus her father was now a British subject. Helen was, however, educated in Paris.
The two had met at one of the Emperess Eugéiene "Monday" affairs. He apparently fell in love with her at once. They engaged in a descret long-distance romance via letters as he was spending condierable time in Egypt working on the Suez Canal.
Mlle and the Vicomte married just after the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869. Helene was received into the Catholic Church when she married Ferdinand. A relative reports, "When Helen married Ferdinand she bestowed the most beautiful pink and white marble alter to the Catholic Church in Orpierre. A short distance away stands the old Protestant Church which houses a temporary museum of the history of the village and has a section devoted to Balthazard." [Autard] Mlle was much younger than the Vicomte. He was then 64 and she was only 20 years old. This surely must have raised eye-brows even in France. Many may have thought that marrying such a young girl was inappropriate. Others may have felt that she was seeking to marry a leading citizen of France for social reasons. One biographer denies this, climing that she admired DeLesseps as a person. [Beatty, p. 262.] In our modern jaded age readers might take this asertion with some suspision. By all accounts it was, however, a happy marriage. Certainly 11 children does suggest some degree of marital affection.
Given her age, she did not know the many high officials that he knew nor did she know much concerning his work on the canal. Her principal role seems to have been to have children and raise them. We note one British reporter was not at all impressed with her. We do not have much information yet on just what kind of mother she was. She appears to have let the children run wild.
Several portraits of the Vicomte and his family was taken at the Nadar studio. A relative tells us, "There is another twist to the story. The photo of the children with the black dickeys (scarfs) is the one on the official French Ministry of Culture Website. They are downloading gradually all of the Atelier Nadar collection.
Anne-Marie Bernard collaborated with Paul Nadar in a publiction called The World of Proust, which was acclaimed at the time as a masterpiece of Biography and photography. After Paul Nadar's death, she donated the entire collection of the Atelier Nadar to the French Ministry of Culture. There were about 400,000 glass plates etc. So far there are
only 25,000 on the website. I have trawled 5,000 so far, and found the 'Black Dickey' photgraph there. I have also found a few later photos of some of the children. I am still trawling hoping to find the other 'unadulterated'? photo." [Autard]
Autard, John. E-mail May 5, 2009. John is the great grandson of Helene De Lesseps. He lives in Cape Town, South Africa and has a website devoted to his family. A HBC contributor has been corresponding with him.
Beatty, De Lesseps of Suez: The Man and His Times (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1956), 334p.
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