Figure 1.--Here we note François-Victor, the youngest son, with his father. François-Victor wears a tunic with a small white collar and long trousers about 1835. He looks to be about 7 years old. Notice the huge belt. The portrait was painted by Auguste de Châtillon. |
Hugo married Adèle Foucher (18??-68) (1822). He had known her since childhood when they played together. Her father was also a military officer, posted at the Ministry of War. Hugo's brother Eugéne was also in love with Adèle and as a result of the marriage became certifiably insane and had to be institutionalized. Hugo had five children. Adéle after the fifth child refused to have any more children. The end of their intimate relations caused Hugo to turn to Juliette Drouet (Julienne-Joséphine Gauvain) (18??-82) an actres. She inspired some of his poetry. His wife had an affair with Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve, once a friend of Hugo, but Hugo was mot at all pleased with the liason. Tragedy struck the family when his daughter Léopoldine, named after his father, died in a tragic accident (September 1843). Léopoldine had married Charles Vacquerie only a few months earlier. Both she and her huband drowned. Hugo grieves in his poem 'Tomorrow, At Daybreak'. Hugo was so affected by the tragedy that for a decade he produced no important works. Hugo had difficulty with his daughter Adèle, who was less sociable than Léopoldine, and like her uncle showed signs of mental instability. After his exile, Adèle left with Lieutenant Albert Pinson to Halifax, Nova Scotia with his regiment and later to Barbados. He also quarled with his sons. He outlived all of his children except Adèle
Hugo married Adèle Foucher (18??-68) (1822). He had known her since childhood when they played together. Her father was also a military officer, posted at the Ministry of War. Hugo and Adèle enjoyed playing together as children. He fell in love with Adèle, but in many ways it was a strange choice for a struggling young writer. Both were very young. Adèle was very different than Hugo, in particular she had no real untellectual interests.
She was not moved by his poetry and in fact could not understand it. As a result of the marriage, Hugo's brother Eugéne was also in love with Adèle, became certifiably insane and had to be institutionalized.
Hugo had five children. The girls were: Léopoldine and Adéle. The boys were: Léopold, Charles-Hugo, and François-Victor. All but Léopold lived to adulthood.
Léopold was born July 1823 and named after Hugo's father. Sadly Léopold died October 9.
Léopoldine was born in 1824 and also named after Hugo's father. Tragedy struck the family when his daughter Léopoldine died in a tragic accident (September 1843). Léopoldine had married Charles Vacquerie only a few months earlier. Both she and her huband drowned. Hugo grieves in his poem 'Tomorrow, At Daybreak'. Hugo was so affected by the tragedy that for a decade he produced no important works.
Charles Hugo was born in 1826.
François-Victor was born in 1828. The portrait here shows him at about 7 years old wearing a blue tunic (figure 1). He was the Hugo's third son. He died in 1873.
Adéle was mamed after her mother. Hugo had difficulty with his daughter Adèle, who was less sociable than Léopoldine, and like her uncle showed signs of mental instability. After his exile, Adèle left with Lieutenant Albert Pinson to Halifax, Nova Scotia with his regiment and later to Barbados. He also quarled with his sons. He outlived all of his children except Adèle. Adéle was confined to a nursing home, suffering from paranoid schizophrenic.
Hugo was what might be called a womanizer today. This behavior was of course much more acceptable in 19th century France. Adéle after the fifth child refused to have any more children. Some say that the end of their intimate relations caused Hugo to turn to others for feminine companionship. Others say that these affairs began even earlier. The most important was with Juliette Drouet (Julienne-Joséphine Gauvain) (18??-82) who was an actres. They met about 1833. She inspired some of his poetry. When she began to age, Hugo turned to other women, but remained fond of Drouet. Hugo had some domestic problems because of his mistresses. One betrayed him by sending Juliette a bundle of Hugo's love letters. Imagine having love letters from a literary giant. Interestingly she sent then to Juliette and not Hugo's wife. Juliette became suicidal, but Hugo managed to convince her that she was his one and only true love. There were other domestic problems. Hugo's wife had an affair with Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve, once a friend of Hugo, but Hugo was mot at all pleased with the liason. The two discussed matters that did not interest Hugo (religion and fashions). The affair was very chaste, in contrast to Hugo's tumultois and numerous affairs. Despite these affairs, Victor and Adèle, liveed together and raised their children together.
We have few details about the children's clothes at this time. Unfortunately photograph was not available when the children were toung, leaving is with few images. When they were married, Hugo was still struggling, byt by the 1830s he had achieved some success and the familt could lead a prosperous life style. The girls appeared to have worn pinafores or smocks over their dresses. The boys also appear to have worn smocks. One portrait drawn by their mother shows Léopoldine and François-Victor wearing similar looking smocks. It was probably done about 1832 when Léopoldine Léopoldine has pigtails. Léopoldine looks to be about 11 and François-Victor about 4 years old. There hair is done similarly except We also note François-Victor wearing a tunic with a small white collar and long trousers about 1835. The tunic is dark blue and the trousers briown. He looks to be about 7 years old (figure 1).
Adéle died in 1868 while still on Gernsey. After this his family life desintegrated.
There are several images with the grand children, some taken while Hugo was still in exile on Gernsey. Hugo's first grandson George was born March 31, 1867. There was also Jeanne. We do not yet know which of Hugo's children the grandchildren were or anything about their lives. Available photographiv images suggest that they wre close to their grandfather and provide some information on how they were dressed.
Robb, Graham. Victor Hugo: A Biography (W.W. Norton: New York, 1997), 682p.
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