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Michael Lyons
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Take a walk on the wild side

Portrait of 18th-century transvestite discovered

04.01.2012

The National Portrait Gallery is making room for a new addition, and this one’s a pretty big personality. The Guardian reports that an art dealer discovered what was advertised as a portrait of an unknown woman but is actually a painting of a flamboyant 18th-century transvestite, the Chevalier d’Éon.
 
Born Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont, the Chevalier d’Éon lived her first 49 years as a man and the remaining 33 as a woman. Throughout this time she claimed to have been born a woman and raised as a man, and her gender confusion was so infamous that a betting pool was started on the London Stock Exchange to guess her birth sex. It wasn’t until she died that examining doctors discovered she was male-born.
 
The Chevalier d’Éon was a soldier, politician and spy for the French government. A decorated diplomat, d’Éon was also notorious for blackmailing Louis XV. After living for years in exile, d’Éon returned to France under the condition that the French court allow her to live as a woman, and a new wardrobe was funded by Louis XVI.
 
In short, she was a fierce diva queen.

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    • Michelle
      12/29/2012 5:05:56 AM
      Ryan and Kim are amiazng, amiazng, AMAZING!!!a0 Not only are they completely in love with each other, but they both are so sweet.a0 I wish I could have shot their wedding for them, but my friend, Dave, who is oh so awesome, stepped up to shoot their wedding and I knew they were in great hands!a0 Congratulations Ryan and Kim, I'm totally swooning over your pictures!
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