Bashkirtseff
Orig | CZ

Gonzalès Family

Moderate Aktualizováno: 2025-12-07

Research Status: Moderate Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Book 00 (1884 retrospective)

Overview

The Gonzalès family was an Argentine family that Marie Bashkirtseff encountered in Baden-Baden around 1870. The family eventually became friends with the Bashkirtseffs despite initial misunderstandings involving romantic jealousy.

Family Members

Monsieur de Gonzalès ("le père Gonzalès")

Marie describes him as "République-argentinais Gonzalès" (Argentine Republican Gonzalès), suggesting he was involved in Argentine politics or diplomacy.

Characteristics:

  • Initially vain: "Proud" of his perceived romantic conquests
  • Attracted to Marie's mother: "Became in love with maman"
  • Eventually understanding: After "harsh surprises" came to understand Marie's mother's genuine innocence
  • Long-term friend: Despite complications, "became our friend"

Social position: As an Argentine official or diplomat frequenting Baden-Baden, he was part of the international elite circle at the spa resort.

Madame de Gonzalès

Characteristics:

  • Jealous: Became jealous of her husband's attention to Marie's mother
  • Cold and cutting: Showed marked coldness ("très froide") to Marie's mother
  • Sharp-tongued: Made pointed, sarcastic remarks

Notable behavior: At the train station when the family was departing Baden-Baden, she told Marie's mother "in a very pinched manner" that she was "confused to deprive maman of her walk in such beautiful weather" - a cutting remark that Marie recognized as hostile but her mother took as genuine concern.

Rémy de Gonzalès Moreno

  • Age: 13 years old (in Baden-Baden c. 1870)
  • Primary romantic interest: Berthe Boyd (12)
  • Secondary interest: Flirted with Marie ("me faire de l'œil")
  • Social connections: Part of the aristocratic children's group

The Comedy of Errors

Marie recounts an "almost incredible trait of naïveté" involving the adults:

1. Monsieur's attraction: Marie's mother, "free in her manner," inspired confidence in Monsieur de Gonzalès, who became attracted to her 2. Wife's jealousy: Madame de Gonzalès became jealous 3. Mother's innocence: Marie's mother befriended Madame de Gonzalès "in a frank, easy way" ("à la bonne franquette") 4. Misreading signals: Mother thought the wife must be as charming as the husband, who was so nice to her 5. Doubled efforts: When Madame showed coldness, mother "redoubled her amiability" 6. Train station scene: Even at the farewell, mother missed all the cutting remarks

Marie's retrospective comment: "When I think of it now, remembering the expressions and intonations, it's astounding."

Marie's Sharp Observation

Even as a child (around 11-12 years old), Marie could read social situations her mother couldn't:

  • She recognized Madame de Gonzalès's hostility
  • She understood the subtext of the "pinched" remarks
  • She saw her mother's naïveté for what it was
  • She perceived the class dynamics at play

This early social intelligence would become one of Marie's defining characteristics.

Evolution to Friendship

Despite the rocky start, the relationship evolved:

  • Monsieur de Gonzalès initially attributed success to himself
  • "Harsh surprises" taught him to understand Marie's mother
  • He came to comprehend her genuine innocence and good nature
  • The family "became our friend"

This suggests the Gonzalès family may have maintained contact with the Bashkirtseffs beyond Baden-Baden.

Argentine Context

Argentine Elite in 1870s Europe

The Gonzalès family represents the Argentine elite's participation in European high society during the 1870s. Many wealthy Argentine families:

  • Sent diplomats and officials to Europe
  • Frequented fashionable spa resorts
  • Maintained cultural and social ties to Europe
  • Often had European heritage or education

"République-argentinais"

Marie's description "République-argentinais" may refer to:

  • Argentina's republican form of government (as opposed to European monarchies)
  • Monsieur de Gonzalès's political affiliation or position
  • His role as representative of the Argentine Republic

Significance in Marie's Development

The Gonzalès family episode taught young Marie: 1. Social reading: How to interpret subtext in conversations 2. Gender dynamics: The complications of male-female friendships 3. Innocence vs. worldliness: Her mother's naïveté versus her own awareness 4. Class consciousness: The importance of social connections 5. Long-term relationships: How initial misunderstandings can evolve into friendship

Spelling Note

Marie writes "Gonzalès" (with grave accent on the 'e'), though "Gonzales" (without accent) is more common in Spanish. This may reflect:

  • French phonetic spelling
  • An actual family preference for the French spelling
  • The family's European orientation

Related Entries

%% 2025-12-07T15:00:00 RSR: Created comprehensive entry for Gonzalès Family based on Book 00 retrospective. This episode showcases Marie's early ability to read social situations and her awareness of the gap between surface politeness and underlying tensions - skills that would serve her throughout her life as a diarist and social observer. %%