Fanny Mosselman du Chenoy
Encyclopedia
Françoise Zoé Mathilde Mosselman (1808–1880), known as Fanny Mosselman, was a Belgian noblewoman, notable as the maîtresse en titre (main mistress
) of the duke Charles de Morny.
In 1827 she married Charles Le Hon
who was made a Belgian count in 1836, so she also held the title of comtesse Le Hon or Lehon. Nominally, they had three children - Eugène (born 1828) and Léopold (born 1832), the latter being supposed to be the son of her lover, the diplomat Charles-Joseph Bresson) - Louise, daughter of the duke de Morny.
In the words of one historian, "Fanny chose a man over whom she had great influence and who allowed her freedom of movement and especially freedom to follow her heart".
. Her father had bought a hôtel particulier
in the Chaussée-d'Antin from the bankrupt banker Récamier, husband of Juliette. After 1830 it became the residence of the first Belgian envoy, Charles Le Hon.
Fanny took several lovers, amongst them (so it is said) the duc d'Orléans and held an extremely brilliant salon
in Paris, attended by politicians, members of the July Monarchy
royal family, journalists and writers - Balzac
called her "Iris in light blue, the golden-haired ambassadress", whilst Charles de Rémusat
commented "She had the spirit of a grand grisette
, with a certain intelligence for affairs and intrigue"
Around 1833, she met Charles de Morny, then a mere sous-lieutenant, but who occupied a position in high society as the illegitimate son of général de Flahaut and queen Hortense
, duchess of Saint-Leu. Fernand de Montguyon took him to a reception at the Belgian embassy, where he and Fanny immediately fell in love and began a 25-year liaison. Their love-child Louise, accepted by Charles Le Hon, married a prince Poniatowski.
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
) of the duke Charles de Morny.
In 1827 she married Charles Le Hon
Charles Le Hon
Count Charles Aimé Joseph Le Hon was a Belgian liberal politician.-Life:Originally a lawyer and industrialist, he served as mayor of Tournai and was elected a deputy in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands during the Dutch period, then to the National Congress of Belgium in 1830, having...
who was made a Belgian count in 1836, so she also held the title of comtesse Le Hon or Lehon. Nominally, they had three children - Eugène (born 1828) and Léopold (born 1832), the latter being supposed to be the son of her lover, the diplomat Charles-Joseph Bresson) - Louise, daughter of the duke de Morny.
In the words of one historian, "Fanny chose a man over whom she had great influence and who allowed her freedom of movement and especially freedom to follow her heart".
Life
Daughter of the rich Belgian banker and captain of industry François-Dominique Mosselman and his wife Louise Tacqué, she was from a family with several business interests in Belgium, most notably the Vieille-Montagne minesVieille Montagne
Vieille Montagne is the name of a former zinc mine in Kelmis , a town in Belgium between Liège and Aachen. The mine's name is French for "the old mountain", and this is also reflected in its German name, Altenberg...
. Her father had bought a hôtel particulier
Hôtel particulier
In French contexts an hôtel particulier is an urban "private house" of a grand sort. Whereas an ordinary maison was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a street, an hôtel particulier was often free-standing, and by the 18th century it...
in the Chaussée-d'Antin from the bankrupt banker Récamier, husband of Juliette. After 1830 it became the residence of the first Belgian envoy, Charles Le Hon.
Fanny took several lovers, amongst them (so it is said) the duc d'Orléans and held an extremely brilliant salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
in Paris, attended by politicians, members of the July Monarchy
July Monarchy
The July Monarchy , officially the Kingdom of France , was a period of liberal constitutional monarchy in France under King Louis-Philippe starting with the July Revolution of 1830 and ending with the Revolution of 1848...
royal family, journalists and writers - Balzac
Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Napoleon....
called her "Iris in light blue, the golden-haired ambassadress", whilst Charles de Rémusat
Charles de Rémusat
Charles François Marie, Comte de Rémusat , was a French politician and writer.-Biography:He was born in Paris. His father, Auguste Laurent, Comte de Rémusat, of a good family of Toulouse, was chamberlain to Napoleon Bonaparte, but acquiesced in the restoration and became prefect first of Haute...
commented "She had the spirit of a grand grisette
Grisette (French)
The word grisette has referred to a French working-class woman from the late 17th century and remained in common use through the Belle Époque era, albeit with some modifications to its meaning. It derives from gris, , and refers to the cheap grey fabric of the dresses these women originally wore...
, with a certain intelligence for affairs and intrigue"
Around 1833, she met Charles de Morny, then a mere sous-lieutenant, but who occupied a position in high society as the illegitimate son of général de Flahaut and queen Hortense
Hortense de Beauharnais
Hortense Eugénie Cécile Bonaparte , Queen Consort of Holland, was the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoleon I, being the daughter of his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais. She later became the wife of the former's brother, Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, and the mother of Napoleon III, Emperor of...
, duchess of Saint-Leu. Fernand de Montguyon took him to a reception at the Belgian embassy, where he and Fanny immediately fell in love and began a 25-year liaison. Their love-child Louise, accepted by Charles Le Hon, married a prince Poniatowski.
Parisian residences
- 1831-1838 : Hôtel Récamier, Chaussée d'Antin
- 1838-1843 : Hôtel de La Vaupalière, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré
- from 1843 : Hôtel Le Hon, rond-point des Champs-Élysées