Deraismes, Maria (1828-1894)

Deraismes, Maria

AUTHOR (FRANCE)

BORN 17 Aug 1828, Paris - DIED 6 Feb 1894, Paris: 17e
BIRTH NAME Deraismes, Marie Adélaïde
CAUSE OF DEATH cancer
GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Cimetière de Montmartre, 20 Avenue Rachel (division 31)

Maria Deraimes came from a rich commercial family and grew up in Pontoise. Her parents were liberal and educated her well. She was interested in literature and was known for her communication skills. Herfortune allowed her to avoid marriage and remain independent. She wrote several comedies that were published in "Théâtre chez soi" (1863). She wrote pamphlets and contributed to several magazines. In 1866 she joined the feminist organisation Société de la revendication des droits de la femme and in 1869 she founded the L'Association pour le droit des femmes together with Leon Richer.

After the fall of the Second Empire there was little room for feminism and she took a more moderate approach than before. In 1878 she organised a women's conference with Richer that was held at the Masonic Grand-Orient Lodge. There Hubertine Auclert brought up women's suffrage, but this was rejected as premature and Auclert broke with Desraismes and Richer. In 1885 Deraismes was symbolic a candidate for the elections of 1885. In 1893 she founded the first Masonic lodge in the world that accepted both men and women as members. She died in 1894 of cancer and her collected writings were published in 1895.

Related persons
• has a connection with Auclert, Hubertine

Images

The grave of Maria Deraismes at the Cimetière Montmartre, Paris.
Picture by Androom (20 Feb 2016)