BEAUCHESNE (de), Alcide (1800-1873)

BEAUCHESNE (de), Alcide (1800-1873)

Signed autograph drafts of texts (fragments)
N.p.n.d., 4 p. in-8°
Numerous corrections, redactions, and ink blots (in Beauchesne’s hand)
Slight restoration to the upper margin of a sheet, small splits along the folds

Rare manuscript drafts, enriched with numerous original drawings

These text drafts, laid down on paper in a disorderly manner, sometimes in reverse direction, appear to be preparatory work for his writings on royalty (see below). For instance, one reads: ‘As if she were owed the essential right to be a queen of the world and an angel in heaven! What are these virtues? Tell me? — Obedience, humility, devotion — I think, on the contrary, a bitter privilege is theirs […]’
Beauchesne furthermore enriched the sheets with numerous drawings: symbols, coats of arms, and small arabesques, some of which are highly accomplished. Two large portraits of men, on the recto and verso of one of the two sheets, complete the ensemble. Finally, there are numerous attempts at signatures, some academic, others more whimsical.

While one might be tempted to link these drafts to youthful work, it should be noted that the handwriting here reflects maturity, less cursive than that of his youth.

A gentleman of the King’s Chamber under Louis XVIII, head of office at the Department of Fine Arts from 1825 to 1830, and later section chief at the National Archives, Alcide de Beauchesne is best remembered for his works Louis XVII, sa vie, son agonie et sa mort (1852) and Vie de Mme Élisabeth, sœur de Louis XVI (1869)