Unexpected character identity in the 18th century portrait

The 18th-century portrait called 'The Hat-Girl Girl' is now receiving special attention from experts as they discover that the beautiful girl is in fact a genuine man. .

This is the first work to draw a picture of a man dressed in women's clothing. Chevalier D'Eon - the new name of the portrait - is on display at Philip Mold Ltd Gallery (London) and will soon appear in the National Portrait Gallery, art historian Philip Mold - director Philip Mold Ltd - said.

Initially, observing the painting, Mold noticed something unusual, which was the 'toughness, muscularness of the face' and 'the sign of beard' . Therefore, he and his research team have worked to find out the truth.

After the painting is cleaned and restored, the character's masculine features are much better with angular face and stubborn beard. More specifically, under the author's signature 'Gilbert Stuart' is the words ' T. Stewart '.

Portrait of Chevalier D'Eon. (Photo: Philip Mold Ltd)

Combining that information side by side with the study of historical documents, the expert group affirmed that this is the work of famous painter Thomas Stewart drawing Charles D'Eon.

D'Eon (1728-1810) is a mysterious figure in history with a very special life when wearing pants, when wearing skirts; this time plays the role of a man, who plays a woman at that time, every role succeeds.

With that ability, he participated in the secret mission of King Louis XV in 1755. D'Eon has achieved many achievements and was appointed as the plenipotentiary minister in London. However, shortly afterwards, the changing time made D'Eon even become the target of an assassination plot.

Later, D'Eon must hide his identity by always wearing the same attire as women. Rumors of his sex began to appear in 1770, people even made betting on each other. Those who have ever seen D'Eon describe 'her' as a small, slender girl with a pinkish-white face with delicate lines, a melodious voice.

The truth was only revealed after his death on May 21, 1810. Carrying out a medical examination, anatomists claim D'Eon to be a man, ending the controversy over the mysterious person. It is known that even his butler was shocked for hours because of that fact.

Today, the term 'Eonism' derives from the name of D'Eon used in psychiatry to describe the phenomenon of men who like to wear costumes and have gestures like women.

Reference: Livescience