She became a courtesan and called herself Mlle Campinado. Her affair with the Englishman continued and resulted in a child who died of smallpox. After a brief affair with an Italian tenor, she fell for the Castrato Tenducci and in 1788 followed him to Genoa, hoping to start a musical career there; but she only gave a few concerts. After a year, she returned to Paris, alone, disappointed and hurt. All her dreams, both professional and romantic were shattered. Her hopes vanished. Paris was on the verge of revolution. She ditched her gowns in favor of a white riding habit called amazone, and a round brim hat; an eccentric outfit that made her stand out from the crowd. She wanted to play the role of a man; she later explained, because I had Always been extremely humiliated by the servitude and prejudices, under which the pride of men holds my oppressed sex.'' She gave up her job as a coutesan, pawned her jewel to support herself. After the storming of the Bastille, she became involved in revolutionary activities. She attended meetings of the National Assembly every day. She was the first to arrive and the last to leave, and met many influential figures of the Revolution such as Petion, the Abbe Sieyes and Desmoulins. She plaayed a big role too. She sometimes spoke at the Cordeliers Club, founded her own club, and ran her own saloon. Soon she was a celebrity, it is at this time that she became to be known as Theroigne Mericourt.
She became a courtesan and called herself Mlle Campinado. Her affair with the Englishman continued and resulted in a child who died of smallpox.
After a brief affair with an Italian tenor, she fell for the Castrato Tenducci and in 1788 followed him to Genoa, hoping to start a musical career there; but she only gave a few concerts. After a year, she returned to Paris, alone, disappointed and hurt.
All her dreams, both professional and romantic were shattered. Her hopes vanished. Paris was on the verge of revolution. She ditched her gowns in favor of a white riding habit called amazone, and a round brim hat; an eccentric outfit that made her stand out from the crowd.
She wanted to play the role of a man; she later explained, because I had Always been extremely humiliated by the servitude and prejudices, under which the pride of men holds my oppressed sex.'' She gave up her job as a coutesan, pawned her jewel to support herself.
After the storming of the Bastille, she became involved in revolutionary activities. She attended meetings of the National Assembly every day. She was the first to arrive and the last to leave, and met many influential figures of the Revolution such as Petion, the Abbe Sieyes and Desmoulins. She plaayed a big role too. She sometimes spoke at the Cordeliers Club, founded her own club, and ran her own saloon. Soon she was a celebrity, it is at this time that she became to be known as Theroigne Mericourt.