Stéphanie Boisteux | |
|---|---|
 Stéphanie Boisteux found by Marianne Enckell from the ICRA Lausanne to document her on the DIMA | |
| Born | 16 October 1850 Saint-Géréon, Loire-Inférieure, France |
| Died | August 1, 1904(1904-08-01) (aged 53) Paris (18th arrondissement), France |
| Other name | La Mère Peinard |
| Movement | Anarchism |
| Partner | Émile Pouget (1882–1904) |
Stéphanie Boisteux (1850–1904), nicknamed La Mère Peinard (English: Mother Chill), was a French anarchist. She is best known for having been the partner of Émile Pouget, a prominent figure in the movement, for twenty-two years until her death.
Throughout this entire period, she supported her partner in his anarchist initiatives and his times in exile. She was affectionately given the nickname 'Mère Peinard' by the companions, and anarchists such as Augustin Hamon remembered her in highly positive terms. After her death in 1904, she was cremated at the Père Lachaise Cemetery.
Biography
Stéphanie Boisteux (sometimes one finds Boiteux) was born on 16 October 1850, in Saint-Géréon (Loire-Inférieure), to Stéphanie Garnier and Alexis Boisteux.[1][2]
She entered in a relationship with Émile Pouget from 1882 until her death. Companions of all genders called her affectionately Mère Peinard ('Mother Chill') in reference to the title of her partner's newspaper.[1][2] Throughout this entire period, her partner held a prominent place among anarchists in France; she therefore moved in circles alongside key figures of the movement.[3]
She was noted by the anarchist Auguste Hamon as being an important person in Pouget's life; she notably helped him during his exiles in London when he had to flee the country following the French state repressions of the 1890s.[1][2] He wrote about her, reflecting on the sadness her death provoked on Pouget, that:[1][2][4]
Having known Mrs. Pouget myself, and knowing how good she was, and what a companion she was to you, helping you endure the hardships of a militant's life, I can well imagine the pain and sadness gripping you […] she who, in London in 1894, somewhat softened the hardships of exile.
She died at her home at 15 rue Véron, Paris (18th arrondissement), and was cremated at the Père-Lachaise Cemetery on 1 August 1904.[1][2]
References
- Enckell & Dupuy 2022, p. 1.
- Enckell 2024, p. 1.
- Bouhey, Vivien (2019-09-30). "Radiographie du mouvement anarchiste français de 1881 à 1894 : éléments pour servir une réflexion sur l'existence d'une internationale noire à la fin du XIXe siècle". Histoire, économie & société (in French). 38 (3): 87–88. doi:10.3917/hes.193.0083. ISSN 0752-5702.
- Augustin Hamon papers at the IISG.
Bibliography
- Enckell, Marianne; Dupuy, Rolf (2022), "POUGET, Stéphanie [née BOISTEUX]", Dictionnaire international des militants anarchistes, Paris
- Enckell, Marianne (2024), "BOITEUX Stéphanie (ou BOISTEUX), épouse POUGET", Dictionnaire des anarchistes (Le Maitron), Paris: Le Maitron des anarchistes