“Woman or man?
Famous “travesties” and their modern
imitators.”
Part II
On the way, Eon stopped for a while in the Duchy of Strelitz, where Douglas introduced him to the Duke as his niece. Princess Sophia Charlotte (later the Queen of England) became very friendly with the “pretty French girl” and provided “her” with a letter of recommendation to Elizabeth’s lady-in-waiting, Nadezhda Stein.
In St. Petersburg, “Mademoiselle Eon” was introduced to the Empress and won her sympathy so much that she was invited as the Empress’s reader.
Elizabeth’s favor increased even more when she learned that Eon was a man. She wanted to keep him with her forever, but Eon did not want to part with his fatherland.
Upon his return to France, he took part in the Seven Years’ War. Soon the king sent him as plenipotentiary ambassador to London. These royal favors created a lot of enemies for him, and in London they definitely believed that the ambassador was a woman in disguise. In England there were countless bets about whether he was a man or a woman. To finally decide who wins the bet, the crowd, led by one famous brawler and duelist, burst into Eon’s apartment, where they found him in the luxurious morning ladies’ toilet. The crowd shouted and demanded that he undress.
Eon did not lose his composure, grabbed the sword and invited the main instigator to fight a duel with him. The British, like true athletes, enthusiastically welcomed this proposal. The duel began, but soon the Englishman was so seriously wounded that he fell.
“Now I have proven to you that I am a man,” Eon shouted, and covered the enemy lying on the floor with a lace scarf.
“Take this guy away and get out,” Eon added and the crowd obeyed.
One day, King George of England took him to the queen’s room. Sofia Charlotte was stunned and admitted that when she was a young lady, she was very friendly with Eon, considered him a woman, and that she was now extremely amazed to learn that Eon was a man. The king, however, was not satisfied with this and demanded in writing from Louis an explanation about his ambassador. Louis was in great difficulty and, on the advice of his then favorite Countess DuBarry, he calmed the irritated English
the king, writing to him that Chevalier Eon was a woman in disguise.
Then he called him from London and invited him to stay in Paris, with the understanding that he would receive a pension and be required to wear a woman’s dress. Eon refused and went to London with his friend Nadezhda Stein, whom he met in St. Petersburg.
The famous “travesty” on the throne was Queen Christiana, the daughter of Gustavus Adolphus. During her reign, she predominantly wore men’s dress. She was an ardent hunter, shot and rode like a man, wrote several philosophical works and never in her life did any woman’s work.
You can also point out that the Maid of Orleans also wore a man’s dress in her youth. Among other “faults,” this was blamed on her in the courtroom.”
(“Illustrated Russia” (Paris), December 15, 1928)
“ВЧК ОГПУ”
