Blanc (Family)

Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2025-01-23 Diary Coverage: Up to 1880-11-21

French family in Paris society. "Le petit Blanc" (young Blanc) is rumored in 1880 to be having an affair with Berthe, Marie's married friend.

References in diary:

• 1880-11-21: Marie mentions that "all Paris" is saying that Berthe is the mistress of "le petit Blanc." Marie acknowledges that it was inevitable Berthe would have a lover, and a rich one at that, given the husband she has. Marie comments that she knew this would happen even before Berthe's marriage.

The phrase "le petit Blanc" (young Blanc) suggests either a younger member of the Blanc family or a diminutive nickname. The family appears to be wealthy (Marie specifies "un amant riche"), which was important in Parisian society where such arrangements were sometimes tacitly accepted among the upper classes when marriages were unhappy.

Social context:

• Wealthy family
• Connected to Paris high society
• Young male member rumored to be Berthe's lover
• Part of the demi-monde social dynamics Marie observes

Marie's matter-of-fact discussion of this affair shows her understanding of the social realities for unhappily married women in her circle, even as she maintains a certain moral distance from the situation.