Queer Places:
3 Av. Matignon, 75008 Paris, France
Cimetière du Montparnasse, 3 Bd Edgar Quinet, 75014 Paris, France

Élisa Marquet-Vasselot de Rosny (January 11, 1802 – March 11, 1874), widely known in historical records as Madame de Rosny, was a prominent 19th-century French intellectual, aristocrat, and academic collaborator whose life intersected with high Parisian society and significant literary history.

Born on January 11, 1802, she moved within the elite aristocratic circles surrounding King Charles X in Paris. She was married to Lucien de Rosny and was the sister of Hyacinthe Alphonse Marquet de Vasselot. Alongside her family, she resided at No. 3, Rue Matignon, an address that became a vital landmark in both French scholarly history and LGBTQ literary heritage.

Madame de Rosny is widely recognized in historical and literary circles for her romantic and sexual affair with the famous English diarist and landowner Anne Lister, who is often celebrated as the "first modern lesbian". After Lister's long-term relationship with Mariana Belcombe began to wane in 1824 and Lister embarked on European travels—during which she had affairs with women such as Maria Barlow—Lister traveled to Paris in the winter of 1827–1828. Under the formal guise of perfecting her French, Lister moved in with Madame de Rosny at the Rue Matignon residence. This relationship served as a major turning point for Lister, opening doors to the upper echelons of French high society. Lister’s meticulous diaries from the 1820s and 1830s preserved extensive accounts of their dinners, lodgings, and companionship.

Beyond her romantic history, Madame de Rosny was deeply embedded in the intellectual world of her time as the mother, close confidante, and vital academic collaborator of the pioneering French linguist, orientalist, and Japonologue Léon de Rosny. She actively contributed to her son's scholarly pursuits and the work of the Société d'Ethnographie (the American and Oriental Ethnographical Society), which he co-founded. Her deep devotion and research efforts profoundly shaped his career, and her writings—frequently referenced in French historical biographies as the Mémoires de Madame de Rosny—remain a testament to her intellect. Her passing in March 1874 deeply impacted her son's life and career, prompting the preservation of her literary and historical legacy following her death on March 9, 1874.

References:

A Lesbian History of Britain: Love and Sex Between Women Since 1500 by Rebecca Jennings

Other references:

• The Diaries of Anne Lister (1820s–1830s): Held at the West Yorkshire Archive Service (WYAS) under the Shibden Hall Collection. The journals—specifically covering the winter of 1827–1828 and subsequent Paris visits—contain Lister’s extensive first-hand accounts of her affair, shared lodgings at No. 3 Rue Matignon, dinners, and social engagements with Madame de Rosny.
• Parisian Civil Status Archives (Archives de Paris): Official civil records including birth, marriage, and death registers (AP V4E 2808 and related parish registries) that document her vital dates (January 11, 1802 – March 11, 1874), her marriage to Lucien de Rosny, and family ties to the Marquet de Vasselot lineage.
• De l'Orient à l'Amérique: Cinq générations d'érudits dans la famille Rosny (Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, 2014): A major scholarly history of the Rosny family that details Élisa Marquet-Vasselot's intellectual support, family lineage, and her close ties to her son Léon de Rosny.
• Mémoires de Madame de Rosny: Written by Élisa Marquet-Vasselot de Rosny and preserved/cited extensively in subsequent biographical studies of her son. It provides accounts of her family's social sphere, intellectual life, and academic collaborations.
• No Priest But Love: The Journals of Anne Lister from 1824–1826 and The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister (Ed. Helena Whitbread, Virago / Smith Settle): Critical published transcriptions and contextual historical notes regarding Anne Lister’s travels in France and her romantic relationships during this period.
• Dictionnaire prosopographique de l'EPHE (École Pratique des Hautes Études): Contains institutional biographical details on Léon de Rosny, explicitly referencing Élisa Marquet-Vasselot’s active collaboration with the Société d'Ethnographie.
• AGORHA - Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art (INHA): Archival index covering the Marquet de Vasselot family history and genealogical sources.
• World Biographical Index (WBI): Provides cataloged entries and cross-references for 19th-century French biographical records on the Rosny and Marquet de Vasselot families.

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