Gisèle d'Estoc,

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of Marie-Paule Alice Courbe (27 March 1845 – 8 May1894), was a French writer, sculptor, and feminist. She was also a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

list and

cross dresser Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself. Cross-dressing has play ...

. Madame Paule Parent Des Barres was either her married name or another pseudonym, while her

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

s included, Gyz-El and G. d’Estoc.

Biography

Gisèle d'Estoc was born as Marie-Paule Alice Courbe on 27 March 1845, in Nancy. She studied sculpture with Delorme and Chapu, exhibiting her works at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

, the official

art exhibition An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhib ...

of the

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, until 1899. She exhibited ''Un peintre'', a

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for Molding (decorative), moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of ...

in the sculpture section at the Palais des Champs-Elysées on May 2, 1881, her entry in the event catalogue referring to her as "PARENT DES BARRES (Mme Paule-Marie-Alice, nee COURBE)". The following year, at the same event, she exhibited ''Tête d'Etude'', a bust in dyed plaster, the catalogue referring to her by the same name as the year before. During this time, she began a very strong, friendly relationship with Marie-Edmée Pau, also an artist, in which the two young women developed their affinity for

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

by exploring gender identities, according to Melanie C. Hawthorne. At the end of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Empire, Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the French Second Republic, Second and the French Third Republic ...

, continuing to refer to herself as "Mme Paule Parent-Desbarres", she moved to Paris and began a literary career, her favorite themes being

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

and

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. She maintained women should be accountable for their actions, notably criticizing the journalist Séverine in 1890 for having sent her husband to fight a duel for her. She concluded her

diatribe A diatribe (from the Greek ''διατριβή''), also known less formally as rant, is a lengthy oration, though often reduced to writing, made in criticism of someone or something, often employing humor, sarcasm, and appeals to emotion. His ...

with "à capacités égales salaire égal" (equal skills, equal pay). Estoc was

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

. After 1862, she began a romantic relationship with

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

, who remained close to Estoc until her death, then with

Rachilde Rachilde was the pen name and preferred identity of novelist and playwright Marguerite Vallette-Eymery (11 February 1860 – 4 April 1953). Born near Périgueux, Dordogne, Aquitaine, France during the Second French Empire, Rachilde went on t ...

, a writer and cross-dresser like herself, whom Estoc later criticized in a leaflet. She also had a difficult affair with a rider from the

Cirque Medrano The Cirque Medrano (in English: Circus Medrano) is a French circus that was located at 63 Boulevard de Rochechouart, at the corner of rue des Martyrs, in the 18th arrondissement at the edge of Montmartre in Paris. It was originally called Cirque ...

, Emma Rouër, whom Estoc eventually beat in a duel, injuring her left breast. Her last companion was Léo d'Arkaï (alias, Louis-Joseph Pillard). It was with him that Estoc moved to Nice two years before her death in order to take advantage of the

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. Using the name "G. d'Estoc", she joined the "Ligue de l'affranchissement des femmes" (League for the emancipation of women), just founded by

Marie-Rose Astié de Valsayre Marie-Rose Astié de Valsayre ( pen names, Jehan des Etrivières and la mère Marthe; 1846–1939) was a French violinist, feminist, nurse and writer, who is remembered for attempting to overturn legislation prohibiting women to wear trousers and ...

in 1889. The capital "G." gives her first name an epic tone, while the surname, "d’

Estoc The French estoc is a type of sword, also called a tuck in English, in use from the 14th to the 17th century. It is characterized by a cruciform hilt with a grip for two-handed use and a straight, edgeless, but sharply pointed blade of around to ...

" evokes her practice of fencing and cross-dressing. Estoc also joined the Group of Fencers, again under the influence of Astié, who believed in the need for a group of women to take up the sword to defend their causes. A year before her death, Estoc was a candidate for the 1893 legislative elections. She died 8 May 1894, in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

, at the age of 49.

Legacy

After Estoc's death, her life was examined by Pierre Borel, a biographer, who created an unflattering image of her, describing her as a "fin de siècle ghoul".

Madeleine Pelletier Madeleine Pelletier (18 May 1874 – 29 December 1939) was a French psychiatrist, first-wave feminist, and political activist. Born in Paris, Pelletier frequented socialist and anarchist groups in her adolescence. She became a doctor in her twe ...

(1874–1939) admired in Estoc a "way of luminous emancipation" through the practice of fencing and cross-dressing. Mélanie C. Hawthorne wrote a biography of Estoc in 2013.

Selected works

Sculptures

* Mme Paule-Marie-Alice PARENT DES BARRES, ''Un peintre'', 1881 * Mme Paule-Marie-Alice PARENT DES BARRES, ''Tête d'Etude'', 1882

Publications

* G. d’Estoc, ''Comme quoi les Jésuites pourraient bien ne pas descendre du singe - avis à Darwin'', 1880 * G. d’Estoc, ''La Vierge réclame'', "Les Gloires malsaines", 1887 * Gyz-El, ''Noir sur blanc, récits lorrains'', 1887 * G. d’Estoc, "Cahier d'amour" (1893), ''Guy de Maupassant - Poèmes érotiques'', 1993

Biography

Legacy

Selected works

Sculptures

Publications

Notes

References

Further reading