Scope and Contents
The Graffigny Papers consist of correspondence, writings and other papers by and about Françoise d'Issembourg d'Happoncourt, Mme de Graffigny, bound into 76 volumes, numbered 1-100, including one portfolio of loose documents. At the death of Mme de Graffigny in 1758, all her personal papers were inherited by her friend and confidant François-Antoine Devaux (1712-1796). When Devaux died, the papers became the property of his friend and heir Mme Durival, who in turn bequeathed them to her heirs, Joseph-Louis-Gabriel Noël and his wife. In the early 1820s, the collection was acquired by Sir Thomas Phillipps, possibly from Count Grigorii Vladimirovich Orloff. It resurfaced in June 1965 when it came up for sale at Sotheby's, London, as part of the first sale of the Bibliotheca Phillippica (Phillipps MS 23900). It was divided into 19 lots (114 to 132). Twelve were acquired by the Bibliothèque nationale, one by Theodore Besterman, and the remaining six by H. P. Kraus, who donated them to Yale in 1968, with the exception of Volumes 6 and 96; these were subsequently acquired by the Pierpont Morgan Library. Volumes 6, 7, 13, 18, 30, 65, 67-76, 84-89, and 96 are not at Yale.
Series I, Correspondence (1730-1758), consists primarily of correspondence between Graffigny and Devaux. The letters are bound by correspondent, so that each volume contains letters by one writer. The letters by Graffigny written before 1752 were numbered by Devaux in the order in which he received them. These numbers can generally be found on the back of each letter, with a few on the front or in the margins. Each volume of Graffigny's correspondence contains at least one numbered sequence of about 25 to 50 letters. It appears that some sequences of numbers are repeated in more than one volume. Also included in this series is one volume of letters to Graffigny from her niece, Anne-Catherine de Ligniville d'Autricourt, the future Mme Helvétius. The letters from Mme Graffigny are being published in the multi- volume work Correspondance de Madame de Graffigny by English Showalter et al. (Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, Taylor Institution, 1985-).
Series II, Writings (n.d.), contains plays, poems, drafts, notes, legal documents, biographical and genealogical sketches, and other papers, generally by or related to Mme de Graffigny.
Series I, Correspondence (1730-1758), consists primarily of correspondence between Graffigny and Devaux. The letters are bound by correspondent, so that each volume contains letters by one writer. The letters by Graffigny written before 1752 were numbered by Devaux in the order in which he received them. These numbers can generally be found on the back of each letter, with a few on the front or in the margins. Each volume of Graffigny's correspondence contains at least one numbered sequence of about 25 to 50 letters. It appears that some sequences of numbers are repeated in more than one volume. Also included in this series is one volume of letters to Graffigny from her niece, Anne-Catherine de Ligniville d'Autricourt, the future Mme Helvétius. The letters from Mme Graffigny are being published in the multi- volume work Correspondance de Madame de Graffigny by English Showalter et al. (Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, Taylor Institution, 1985-).
Series II, Writings (n.d.), contains plays, poems, drafts, notes, legal documents, biographical and genealogical sketches, and other papers, generally by or related to Mme de Graffigny.
Dates
- 1730-1758
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Existence and Location of Copies
The majority of this collection was microfilmed in the early 1970s. However, the film is not of preservation quality, and it cannot be guaranteed to be legible throughout. See the Appendix for a reel-to-volume listing of the film.
Conditions Governing Use
The Graffigny Papers are the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Phillipps MS 23900. Gift of Hans P. Kraus, 1968.
Extent
13 Linear Feet ((76 boxes) +1 portfolio)
Language of Materials
French
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
Collection consists of 59 volumes of correspondence between Mme de Graffigny and François-Antoine Devaux, and one volume of letters from Anne-Catherine Helvétius to Graffigny. Also included are 16 volumes and one portfolio of plays, poems, drafts, notes, legal documents, biographical and genealogical sketches and other papers, generally by or related to Mme de Graffigny.
FRANCOISE D'ISSEMBOURG D'HAPPONCOURT, MME DE GRAFFIGNY (1695-1758)
Born in Nancy on February 11, 1695, Françoise d'Issembourg d'Happoncourt (or Apponcourt) was the daughter of a prosperous military officer at the court of Duke Leopold of Lorraine. Her father claimed family connections with several German princely families, while her mother was related to the celebrated engraver Jacques Callot. In January 1712, Françoise d'Happoncourt married François Huguet de Graffigny, Chambellan to the Duke of Lorraine. The marriage was unhappy from the beginning and none of the three children it produced survived. The Graffignys separated in 1718; five years later, Mme de Graffigny applied for a formal separation on grounds of the brutal treatments received from her husband. He died under mysterious circumstances in 1725.
An independent woman with a reputation for her wit, Graffigny was soon at the center of the literary, artistic, and scientific circles of the Duchy. It was in that context that she met François-Antoine Devaux, who remained her confidant of choice for the remaining 25 years of her life. In the early 1730s, she fell in love with Léopold Desmarets, son of the composer Henry Desmarets. Their liaison lasted until 1743.
Graffigny's situation at the old court of Lorraine came to an end with the Treaty of Vienna in 1736, which gave the Duchy to the deposed King of Poland Stanislas Leszczynski, father-in-law of Louis XV. In 1738, she left Lunéville and spent two months at Cirey with Voltaire and his friend Mme du Châtelet, whom she had met when they visited Lunéville in 1735. Her well-documented stay ended with a serious rift between Graffigny and her hosts.
In February 1739, Graffigny settled in Paris. Among her new relations was Mlle Quinault, the actress and co-founder of the "Société du bout du banc," which Graffigny was invited to join in 1745. With the assistance of her young cousin Anne-Catherine de Ligniville, she opened her own literary salon. It became one of the most distinguished of its day and was frequented by Rousseau, Turgot, D'Argenson, and Helvétius--who subsequently married Anne-Catherine.
In 1747, the publication of the epistolary novel Lettres d'une Péruvienne made Graffigny famous throughout Europe, a fame confirmed three years later when her play Cénie triumphed at the Comédie-Française. In April 1758, however, La fille d'Aristide was a failure in the same theater. Graffigny died on December 12, 1758.
An independent woman with a reputation for her wit, Graffigny was soon at the center of the literary, artistic, and scientific circles of the Duchy. It was in that context that she met François-Antoine Devaux, who remained her confidant of choice for the remaining 25 years of her life. In the early 1730s, she fell in love with Léopold Desmarets, son of the composer Henry Desmarets. Their liaison lasted until 1743.
Graffigny's situation at the old court of Lorraine came to an end with the Treaty of Vienna in 1736, which gave the Duchy to the deposed King of Poland Stanislas Leszczynski, father-in-law of Louis XV. In 1738, she left Lunéville and spent two months at Cirey with Voltaire and his friend Mme du Châtelet, whom she had met when they visited Lunéville in 1735. Her well-documented stay ended with a serious rift between Graffigny and her hosts.
In February 1739, Graffigny settled in Paris. Among her new relations was Mlle Quinault, the actress and co-founder of the "Société du bout du banc," which Graffigny was invited to join in 1745. With the assistance of her young cousin Anne-Catherine de Ligniville, she opened her own literary salon. It became one of the most distinguished of its day and was frequented by Rousseau, Turgot, D'Argenson, and Helvétius--who subsequently married Anne-Catherine.
In 1747, the publication of the epistolary novel Lettres d'une Péruvienne made Graffigny famous throughout Europe, a fame confirmed three years later when her play Cénie triumphed at the Comédie-Française. In April 1758, however, La fille d'Aristide was a failure in the same theater. Graffigny died on December 12, 1758.
FRANCOIS-ANTOINE DEVAUX (1712-1796)
François-Antoine Devaux, Mme de Graffigny's principal correspondent, whom she addresses as "Panpan," was born in Lunéville, in the Duchy of Lorraine, on September 16, 1712. His father was a surgeon at the court of Duke Leopold. Devaux graduated from the University of Pont-à-Mousson in 1732. After working as a lawyer in the Nancy Parliament, then as the secretary of his cousin and fellow lawyer Jean-Baptiste Michel, he purchased the office of "receveur particulier des finances" (tax collector) in 1741, a charge he resigned in 1752. Reader to King Stanislas of Poland, he was elected in 1752 to the Société des sciences et belles-lettres of Nancy. A minor poet, Devaux was also the author of a one-act prose comedy, Les engagements indiscrets, which was performed in Paris in 1752 thanks to the protection of Mme de Graffigny. In addition to Graffigny, Devaux's circle of friends included the Marquise de Boufflers and her unhappy suitor the Comte de Tressan, the Prince de Bauffremont, and the Comte de Croix. He remained in Lunéville after the death of Stanislas in 1766, living off a pension the king had granted to him, and died there on April 11, 1796.
Appendix A: Guide to the Microfilm
Note: For many volumes filmed under Microfilm number 361, the exact reel containing the volume is not known. Where the volume is known to be on one of two reels, the reel column will read "1 or 2" or "3 or 4".
Microfilm number / Reel / Volume / Notes
-----------------------------------------------------------
360 / 1 / 1
360 / 1 / 2
360 / 1 / 3
360 / 1 / 4
360 / 1 / 5
Volumes 6-7 are not in the collection
361 / 3 or 4 / 8
360 / 1-2 / 9
361 / 1 or 2 / 10
361 / 1 or 2 / 11
360 / 2 / 12
Volume 13 is not in the collection
361 / 1 or 2 / 14
361 / 1 or 2 / 15
360 / 2 / 16
360 / 2 / 17
Volume 18 is not in the collection
361 / 1 or 2 / 19
360 / 2 / 20
361 / 1 or 2 / 21
360 / 2 / 22
360 / 2-3 / 23
361 / 1 or 2 / 24
360 / 3 / 25
361 / 1 or 2 / 26
361 / 1 or 2 / 27
361 / 1 or 2 / 28
361 / 1 or 2 / 29
Volume 30 is not in the collection
360 / 3 / 31
361 / 1 or 2 / 32
361 / 1 or 2 / 33
361 / 1 or 2 / 34
360 / 3 / 35
361 / 1 or 2 / 36
362 / 1 / 36
360 / 3 / 37
362 / 1 / 38
360 / 4 / 39
361 / 1 or 2 / 40
360 / 4 / 41
360 / 4 / 42
361 / 1 or 2 / 43
361 / 1 or 2 / 44
360 / 4 / 45
361 / 1 or 2 / 46
360 / 4 / 47
360 / 4 / 48
360 / 4 / 49
361 / 1 or 2 / 50
360 / 5 / 51
361 / 3 or 4 / 52
360 / 5 / 53
360 / 5 / 54
361 / 3 or 4 / 55
360 / 5 / 56
360 / 5 / 57
361 / 3 or 4 / 58
361 / 3 or 4 / 59
361 / 3 or 4 / 60
361 / 3 or 4 / 61
not filmed / 62
361 / 3 or 4 / 63
361 / 3 or 4 / 64
Volume 65 is not in the collection
361 / 3 or 4 / 66
Volumes 67-76 are not in the collection
362 / 1 / 77
362 / 1 / 78
361 / 5 / 79 / Untitled play
361 / 5 / 80
362 / 1 / 81
361 / 5 / 82
361 / 5 / 83
Volumes 84-89 are not in the collection
362 / 1 / 90
361 / 5 / 91
362 / 2 / 92
361 / 5 / 93 / pp. 231-288 only
362 / 2 / 93
362 / 2 / 94
362 / 2 / 95
Volume 96 is not in the collection
362 / 2 / 97
362 / 2 / 98
362 / 2 / 99
362 / 2 / 100
Microfilm number / Reel / Volume / Notes
-----------------------------------------------------------
360 / 1 / 1
360 / 1 / 2
360 / 1 / 3
360 / 1 / 4
360 / 1 / 5
Volumes 6-7 are not in the collection
361 / 3 or 4 / 8
360 / 1-2 / 9
361 / 1 or 2 / 10
361 / 1 or 2 / 11
360 / 2 / 12
Volume 13 is not in the collection
361 / 1 or 2 / 14
361 / 1 or 2 / 15
360 / 2 / 16
360 / 2 / 17
Volume 18 is not in the collection
361 / 1 or 2 / 19
360 / 2 / 20
361 / 1 or 2 / 21
360 / 2 / 22
360 / 2-3 / 23
361 / 1 or 2 / 24
360 / 3 / 25
361 / 1 or 2 / 26
361 / 1 or 2 / 27
361 / 1 or 2 / 28
361 / 1 or 2 / 29
Volume 30 is not in the collection
360 / 3 / 31
361 / 1 or 2 / 32
361 / 1 or 2 / 33
361 / 1 or 2 / 34
360 / 3 / 35
361 / 1 or 2 / 36
362 / 1 / 36
360 / 3 / 37
362 / 1 / 38
360 / 4 / 39
361 / 1 or 2 / 40
360 / 4 / 41
360 / 4 / 42
361 / 1 or 2 / 43
361 / 1 or 2 / 44
360 / 4 / 45
361 / 1 or 2 / 46
360 / 4 / 47
360 / 4 / 48
360 / 4 / 49
361 / 1 or 2 / 50
360 / 5 / 51
361 / 3 or 4 / 52
360 / 5 / 53
360 / 5 / 54
361 / 3 or 4 / 55
360 / 5 / 56
360 / 5 / 57
361 / 3 or 4 / 58
361 / 3 or 4 / 59
361 / 3 or 4 / 60
361 / 3 or 4 / 61
not filmed / 62
361 / 3 or 4 / 63
361 / 3 or 4 / 64
Volume 65 is not in the collection
361 / 3 or 4 / 66
Volumes 67-76 are not in the collection
362 / 1 / 77
362 / 1 / 78
361 / 5 / 79 / Untitled play
361 / 5 / 80
362 / 1 / 81
361 / 5 / 82
361 / 5 / 83
Volumes 84-89 are not in the collection
362 / 1 / 90
361 / 5 / 91
362 / 2 / 92
361 / 5 / 93 / pp. 231-288 only
362 / 2 / 93
362 / 2 / 94
362 / 2 / 95
Volume 96 is not in the collection
362 / 2 / 97
362 / 2 / 98
362 / 2 / 99
362 / 2 / 100
- Title
- Guide to the Graffigny Papers
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- by Beinecke Staff
- Date
- August 1998
- Description rules
- Beinecke Manuscript Unit Archival Processing Manual
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
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