Jeanne Charlotte de Fleury Deschambault : the woman behind the painting

Hello,

Lastly, I found the painting of a notorious woman of the end of the New France colonies: Jeanne Charlotte de Fleury Deschambault. Unfortunately, I havent foud a proper biography so the informations here were extracted from the biographies of her father and husbands.

Here is her lovely portrait:

Madame Pierre Rigaud de Vaudreuil, née Jeanne-Charlotte de Fleury Deschambault

Around 1753-1755

Canadian Archives

Library and Archives Canada

Jeanne-Charlotte de Fleury Deschambault is born in 1683, probably into the Seigneurie of Deschambault (between Québec and Trois-Rivières). The seigneurial system was a type of land tenureship where the seigneur granted lots to his tenants or censitaires. The seigneur is the French name for a lord but in the New France seigneurial system, it was not necessarily linked to nobility, as many religious institutions where the owners of seigneuries. Her father was Alexis-Jacques de Fleury Deschambault. He arrived at Québec  in the beginning of year 1671 with the title of  ''docteur ès lois et avocat au parlement''. More simply, he was a lawer. Despite his elaborates studies, her father uses the firsts years in the colony of Canada to exploit the seigneurie of Deschambault. It was exchanged to him by his step-mother for a land on the ''ile d'Orléans'', island near Québec.When Alexis-Jacques married the mother of Jeanne-Charlotte, Marguerite de Chavigny de Berchereau,  she was a widow with already four children. 

In 1688, Jeanne-Charlotte is 5 and her family is more established: they have 3 servants, 39 arpents for agriculture, 37 arpents for pastures, 34 animals of the farm. Four families of habitants are already living on the seigneurie ans three others are in process of coming. A manor and a mill are built. 

In 1705, Jeanne-Charlotte is 21 and has married François le Verrier du Rousson. Two child were born from this union, first a boy Louis in 1705 then a girl, Jacqueline-Ursule-Marguerite. When her husband died in 1732, Jeanne-Charlotte began a period of widowing at the age of 49. 

I am loosing her track during this period. About 10 years later, Jeanne-Charlotte sold her Montréal house before leaving Québec to go to La Rochelle to joint her future husband Pierre Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, Marquis de Vaudreuil and futur gouvernor of Louisiane. Jeanne-Charlotte is 60 when she takes the boat to the Louisiane where Vaudreuil will begin as a governor of this colony. 

Theirs relations before their wedding is almost not documented. Their wedding is guessed to have being celebrated in 1746. At this time, Vaudreuil is 48 and her wife 63.

Vaudreuil left the Louisiane  and his governor role in 1753. He took the vassel le Kerlérec for Rochefort. Jeanne-Charlotte and her husband passed the next years in Paris until Vaudreuil obtained the title of governor of New France the first of January 1755. My guess is that the portrait I have shown you was painted during that period. The type of decoration of the dress is typical of the mid century. More, the portrait is suspected to be one of the painter Donat Nonotte who also made a protrait of Vaudreuil.

Jeanne-Charlotte, now called Mme de Vaudreuil, died in september 1763  at  80. She got a painful disease (not named) that lasted 6 months. I have not found the place of death, France, maybe St-Domingue? 

Here is the totally incomplete biography of  Jeanne-Charlotte de Fleury Deschambault. My good historian friend Joseph Gagné  helped me a lot with this part. Thank you Joseph! 

Now I can talk a little bit about the portrait itself. Reminder: Jeanne-Charlotte Fleury Deschambault is guessed to have between 70 to 73 years old on the painting, I would have gave her around 50 years old. Especially when compared to this portrait of Mme de Pompadour of the Montréal's Stewart museum. On this portrait the famous mistress of Louis XV is around 42. 

Madame de Pompadour en Vestale

painted by François-Hubert Drouais

Huile sur toile

Around 1763

Stewart Museum, Montréal

For a practical purpose I put again the portrait I wanted to talk about.

Madame Pierre Rigaud de Vaudreuil, née Jeanne-Charlotte de Fleury Deschambault

Around 1753-1755

Canadian Archives

Library and Archives Canada

The fabric is possibly a silk brocade with gold threads on blue back ground. The dress itself is without hesitation a '' robe à la française'',  the famous Watteau pleats give length to the dress like an incorporate cape at the back. With the 3 layers of engageantes and 3 layers of sleeve flounces, it is impossible to tell if there is panniers to support the dress but I guess that she have them. The stomacher iscovered with golden ribbon. Jeanne-Charlotte hears a cap with blue ribbon decoration and covered with a headpiece name a ''coiffe'' in black sheer fabric. The lacy piece that goes around the neck and down the chest have a name but I do not remember it. She appears to have a discret lace tucker on the edge of her stomacher. She also have some jewelry: a pearl necklace and some earrings, maybe in strass, maybe in diamond. 

When this portrait is painted, Jeanne-Charlotte have left the colony of Canada for about 10 years where she was living in Louisiane. Her clothing style is French without hesitation. It's a beautiful reminder that New France subject where French, only with local adaptation.

I have also found this portrait presumably of Jeanne-Charlotte de Fleury Deschambault:

Madame de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, femme du commandant du Canada

Louis Carrogis dit Carmontelle

Exposed at Musée Condé in Chantilly

It appears that Jeanne-Charlotte have learned the guitar during her long life! Where? Canada, Louisiane, Paris, during the 10 years of widowing?

This gown, ''à la française'' , is more sober. The fabric could be brocaded, embroidered or painted, it's hard to tell. 

I hope you enjoy the biography and the portraits of Jeanne-Charlotte de Fleury Deschanbault. I hope you will have a good day.

Mlle Canadienne