Marie Souvestre (28 April 1830 – 30 March 1905) was an educator who sought to develop independent minds in young women. She founded a school in France and when she left the school with one of her teachers she founded Allenswood Academy in London.

Life

She was born in Brest,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the daughter of French novelist Émile Souvestre. She founded the girls' boarding schools ''Les Ruches'' ("the beehives") in Fontainebleau,

, where writer

Natalie Clifford Barney Natalie Clifford Barney (October 31, 1876 – February 2, 1972) was an American writer who hosted a literary salon at her home in Paris that brought together French and international writers. She influenced other authors through her salon and al ...

and her sister

Laura Clifford Barney Laura Dreyfus-Barney (born Laura Clifford Barney, also known as Laura Alice Barney; 30 November 1879, Cincinnati, Ohio – 18 August 1974, Paris, France) was a leading American Baháʼí teacher and philanthropist. She was the daughter ...

were later educated, and Allenswood Boarding Academy, in Wimbledon, outside

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, where her most famous pupil was

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

. Souvestre took a special interest in Roosevelt, who learned to speak French fluently and gained self-confidence. Roosevelt wished to continue at Allenswood, but in 1902 was summoned home by her grandmother to make her social

debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Deb ...

. Roosevelt and Souvestre maintained a correspondence until March 1905, when Souvestre died. Subsequently, Roosevelt placed Souvestre's portrait on her desk and brought her letters with her every time she moved to a new home. Dorothy Bussy, the sister of writer Lytton Strachey, anonymously published a novel, '' Olivia'' (1949), about her experience as a pupil at ''Les Ruches'', describing the protagonist's crush on the headmistress Mlle. Julie (i.e., Souvestre). Bussy later taught Shakespeare at Allenswood. A century after Souvestre's death, a biographer of Eleanor Roosevelt claimed Souvestre had been a lesbian. She founded ''Les Ruches'' with her partner Caroline Dussaut. Dussaut is Cara in Bussy's novel, ''Olivia''. When they separated in 1883, Souvestre moved to England with Paolina Samaïa, former teacher at ''Les Ruches'' who would become a teacher at ''Allenswood Academy'' as well as, allegedly, Souvestre's long-term partner.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Souvestre, Marie 1830 births 1905 deaths People from Brest, France French atheists French educators 19th-century atheists 20th-century atheists French feminists Atheist feminists