Insights into French humour in the eighteenth century
Professor Colin Jones (Queen Mary University of London) has delivered the first John Rule Memorial Lecture, commemorating the former Southampton historian.
He delighted his audience with a lively illustrated talk on the life and work of Charles-Germain de Saint-Aubin (1721-86), a Parisian luxury embroiderer with an extensive clientele at Louis XV’s court.
In particular, he spoke of Saint-Aubin’s home-made book of humorous and scandalous drawings, many mocking leading Frenchmen and women including Madame de Pompadour, the King’s official mistress.
The book was discovered in the library of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, a National Trust property. It has now been digitised and is freely available to inspect online.
To listen to Professor Jones’ lecture, click on the link to the right of this page.
To see the images, click here.
The event was organised by Southampton’s Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies (SCECS).