Jeannie Urquhart or Georgie Raoul–Duval (3 July 1866 – 3 November 1913) was an American writer, playwright, and socialite. She is mainly remembered for having been in a ménage-a-trois with

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

and Colette's husband Henry Gauthier–Villars.Michèle Sarde ''Colette: Free and Fettered'' 1980 p 167 "Colette and Willy had described an episode in their private life involving a certain Georgie Raoul-Duval"

Early life

Urquhart was born in the 16th arrondissement in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

during one of the frequent travels of American merchant David Urquhart and his wife Augusta (née Slocomb). She was raised in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and educated in France.

Career

In 1905, Urquhart began her career as a playwright, using the pen name George Darling. Her sister, actress Cora Urquhart Brown–Potter, produced and acted in her play, ''The Golden Light,'' at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1905. However, the production was not successful and closed in a few days. Using the pen name G. R. Duval, she published three books. ''Shadows of Old Paris,'' published in 1910, described Paris for Americans. Her next novel, ''Written in the Sand,'' was published in 1912 and was inspired by a journey to the Sahara''.'' Published posthumously in 1914, ''Little Miss, An Unfinished Story'' featured a young protagonist from Louisiana.''''

Personal life

Urquhart married René Raoul–Duval, mining engineer and heir to a large industrial and mining fortune, on September 23, 1891, in Paris. Her dowry was $200,000 francs; his income was a million francs. After the marriage, Urquhart changed her name to Georgie Raoul-Duval. The couple had a house in Paris where she was a "fixture" in artistic salons, frequenting them while her husband was away on business. In addition to their place in French society, the couple was also part of the high society in the United States." Starting in March 1901, she started an affair with

. Colette wrote, “ I loved her, if love is to desire until it burns…to dream of running away with her…" She then also became the lover of Colette's husband Henry Gauthier–Villars. Neither of her lovers knew about each other. Finally, she was the lover of both of them, as detailed in a Paris police report of 1 May 1901. The police report said, "We learn that the novelist Gauthier–Villars (Henry) says 'Willy', author of Claudine in Paris, 93 rue de Courcelles has been living on 93 rue de Courcelles for five years, and has chosen for the afternoon of 29 April a small apartment on the fourth floor of a discreet house on Pasquier Street, with the aim of meeting two lesbians, his legitimate wife and a lady aged about thirty, remaining 107 rue de la Pompe ddress of the Raoul–Duval The meeting of the novelist and the two ladies in question took place from three to six o'clock in the evening. Arriving first, the two ladies were left alone for an hour but Mr. Gauthier–Villars had come to join them, so they continued with him the game." The trio drove to Bayreuth,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for the Bayreuth Festival in the summer of 1901, but fell apart after returning to Paris when Colette and Gauthier–Villars realized that they had both been seeing Urquhart away from their

ménage à trois A () is a domestic arrangement and committed relationship with three people in polyamorous romantic or sexual relations with each other, and often dwelling together; typically a traditional marriage between a man and woman along with anothe ...

. Colette's revenge was literary. Although Urquhart tried to stop the book from being published for fear of scandal, Colette thinly fictionalized Urquhart as Rézi in ''Claudine en ménage'' (''Claudine Married) in 1902.'' Urquhart then purchased the entire first run of the book and had it destroyed. She also ended her association with the couple. Urquhart also appeared as Suzy in Colette's ''La Retraite sentimentale'' (''The Sentimental Retreat'')''.'' Urquhart went on to have an affair with the writer Marie de Hérédia, wife of

Henri de Régnier Henri-François-Joseph de Régnier (28 December 1864 – 23 May 1936) was a French symbolist poet, considered one of the most important of France during the early 20th century. Life and works He was born in Honfleur ( Calvados) on 28 December 1 ...

and mistress of

Pierre Louÿs Pierre Louÿs (; 10 December 1870 – 4 June 1925) was a French poet and writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who sought to "express pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection". ...

. Her other lovers were José Maria Sert and Catherine Pozzi. In 1913, she died at her home on 27 Quai d'Orsay in Paris at the age of 47.

Popular culture

* Colette fictionalized George Raoul-Duvawent as the Austrian girl Rézi in ''Claudine en ménage'', the third episode of her Claudine series. * Colette caricatured George Raoul-Duvawent again as Suzy in ''La Retraite sentimentale'' in 1907. *

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

modeled the mother in his novel ''

Les Parents terribles ''Les Parents terribles'' is a 1938 French play written by Jean Cocteau. Despite initial problems with censorship, it was revived on the French stage several times after its original production, and in 1948 a film adaptation directed by Cocteau ...

'' after her. *

Édouard Bourdet Édouard Bourdet ( Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 26 October 1887 – Paris, 17 January 1945) was a 20th-century French playwright. He was married to the poet, Catherine Pozzi; their son was Claude Bourdet. Plays *1910: ''Le Rubicon'' *1912: ''La Cage o ...

, who depicted her as Madame d'Aiguines in his 1926 play ''La Prisonernière''. * She was played by

Eleanor Tomlinson Eleanor May Tomlinson (born 19 May 1992) is an English actress and singer. She has appeared in films including '' Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'' (2008), ''Jack the Giant Slayer'' (2013), ''Colette'' (2018) and ''Love Wedding Repeat'' (20 ...

in the 2018 film

Publications

Plays

*Daring, George. ''The Golden Light'', 1905

Novels

*G.R. Duval. Shadows of Old Paris. London: F. Griffiths, 1910 *— Written in the Sand. London: W. J. Ham-Smith, 1912 *— Little Miss, An Unfinished Story. Edinburgh: Ballantyne Press, 1914

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raoul-Duval, Georgie 1866 births 1913 deaths 20th-century American women writers Writers from New Orleans Bisexual women American expatriates in France American bisexual writers