An unusual element illustrates this author’s attachment to Nancy: her portrait made by Constance Mayer, kept at the Museum of Fine Arts in Nancy, represents her with a lyre. It testifies to her dual status as muse and creator, a rarity for women of her time.
Élise Voïart, a little-known figure of French romanticism, nevertheless left her mark on literary history through her intellectual commitment and her unique career. Born in Nancy in 1785, she grew up in an environment disrupted by the French Revolution. Orphaned by her father at the age of seven, she developed a self-taught passion for reading, imbuing herself with the ideas of the Enlightenment.
This taste for letters accompanies him throughout his life.
Married to Jacques-Philippe Voïart, an art lover, she frequented the intellectual circles of the time, notably in Choisy-le-Roi, where she held a literary salon. She began by translating German and English authors before publishing her own works. His novels, such as The Woman or the six loves earned him the Montyon Prize from the French Academy in 1828, testifying to his recognition in the literary world.
Established in Nancy after her widowhood in 1842, Élise Voïart found refuge in children’s writing and regional historical novels. She became the first woman elected to the Stanislas Academy, a symbol of her influence in Lorraine intellectual life.
