Jeanne Deroin
Jeanne Deroin (
Early life
Born in Paris, Deroin became a
Later in 1832, Deroin was part of a group of working women who, in protest at the Saint-Simonites hierarchical[1] and religious nature[2] left the group, and became supporters of the socialist Charles Fourier. They began publishing La Femme libre, the first newspaper for women in France,[1] for which she wrote under the pseudonym "Jeanne Victoire".[2]
During this period, Deroin qualified as a schoolteacher. From 1834, she focused on this work, and on bringing up her children and those of Flora Tristan.[1]
1848 Revolution
Deroin was a prominent figure during the
In January 1849, Deroin relaunched Opinion des Femmes. She continued her campaigns, and in particular argued against the
In Opinion des Femmes's last issue, of August 1849, Deroin called for the formation of the
The National Assembly gave her and Gay 12,000 francs to form an association of women seamstresses making ladies' underwear,[1] and a fraternal association along a watered-down version of her proposal was initially able to link together more than one hundred existing organisations. Deroin was elected to its Central Committee, alongside Roland.[2] However, the Association was gradually repressed by the Government, and in May 1850, its offices were raided, 46 members being arrested.[1]
Imprisonment and exile
Deroin was imprisoned until June 1851, using this time to campaign further on women's rights.
In 1862, Deroin founded a boarding school for children of French exiles, aiming to admit even the poorest children, but the project did not prove financially viable. In 1871, she was granted a small pension by the new Government of France. Although she remained in London, she kept up a correspondence with socialist feminists and women's suffrage campaigners in France, such as Léon Richer, Madame Arnaud and Hubertine Auclert.[1]
In the 1880s, Deroin joined the Socialist League, and its founder William Morris delivered the oration at her funeral.[1]
References
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jeanne Deroin Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia of 1848 Revolutions
- ^ "Jeanne Deroin (1805-1894) | Towards Emancipation?". hist259.web.unc.edu. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ Jeanne Deroin Archived 2007-10-19 at the Wayback Machine, Sunshine for Women