Transgender Spy the Chevaliere D’Eon Autograph Letter of Gratitude and Endurance Signed in Her Feminine Title

Chevaliere D'Eon

Manuscripts & Autographs

[Transgender and Cross-Dressing][LGBTQ] D’Eon de Beaumont, Charlotte Geneviève. Autograph Letter Signed, 11 July 1796, written and signed by one of the earliest recorded transgender women in Europe in her feminine title, offering direct manuscript evidence of her self-identification as a woman with the female title and pronouns “La chevaliere d’Eon” and “Mlle d’Eon”. The letter dates to D'Eon's time in England, after her diplomatic career, military service, and public gender transition made her one of the most documented transgender individuals of the eighteenth century. Though some accounts claim D'Eon's gender transition was a hoax or political ruse, this quiet and courteous social note confirm D'Eon's personal identity as a woman.

D’Eon de Beaumont, Charlotte Geneviève. 11 July 1796. 2 manuscript pages on one sheet. 4.5 x 7.5 inches. In French. Autograph letter written from Oxford and addressed to “Dr. Legge at Oxford 11/juillet 1796,” thanking Dr. Legge for “toutes les bontés” (all the kindnesses) shown during d’Eon’s stay and extending respects to “Madame Legge.” D'Eon refers to herself in the third person with explicitly feminine language, opening with “La chevaliere d’Eon est venue prendre congé,” later stating “Mlle d’Eon a aussi l’honneur de présenter ses respects.” The letter praises Legge for his moral and medical goodstanding, describing his “savoir,” “bienveillance,” and “douceur” toward his patients, and calling him in effect a physician to humanity. The letter reads in full:

"Dr. Legge at Oxford 11 July 1796

The Chevalier d'Eon has come to take her leave of Dr. Legge and to offer him her most sincere thanks for all the kindnesses he was good enough to show her during her stay in Oxford. Mlle d'Eon also has the honor of presenting her respects to Mrs. Legge and of expressing to her, as well, her particular gratitude for all her courtesies. She wishes the devoted wife and her husband health and prosperity in all their endeavors at this illustrious university, which honors her just as much as Mr. Legge does.

Oxford, July

May Fortune—after the storms of her past life(?)—enable her one day to demonstrate her gratitude to him; this gratitude will always remain as fervent as her attachment to Dr. Legge, who—through his knowledge, his benevolence of heart, and his zeal and gentleness toward his patients—truly deserves to be called the Physician of the Human Race, in the moral as well as the physical sense."
Health and financial difficulties plagued the Chevalier after she relocated permanently to England in 1785. She was often confined to her bed by illness and old injuries, including a broken leg suffered during her years as a spy. With her pension abolished, her dueling career ended by poor health, and many of her old acquaintances in France lost to exile or execution, D'Eon turned to her community in England and her faith to keep her spirits high. Her friends and acquaintances provided her with both solace and financial support when she was unable to pay her debts. Correspondence from this point in her life indicates that D'Eon had a deep belief in the manifestation of God as one's community, and expressed profound gratitude in her letters to those keeping her from destitution.

By 1796, d’Eon had lived publicly as a woman for decades, following the international scandal that surrounded her gender in the 1770s. This letter reflects her identity in personal, social correspondence, worlds away from the scandal and political intrigue surrounding her initial transition. The manuscript offers insight into a transgender woman's feminine identity and pronouns in her own hand, while her gender was publicly subject to rumor, debate, and trial. Faint soiling and tanning to edges; legible throughout; intact and well preserved. An unusual firsthand document of an early transgender pioneer identifying herself with feminine pronouns in eighteenth century Europe.

Item #23169

Price: $9,800.00