The Escape of Henri Rochefort (Or: The Adventures of My Life)

While slouching around the art museums of Belgium, I photographed this painting and sent it to friend Landis with the subject heading, “#HairGoals.”

We’re both proud of our vertical hair, you see. I’m on record somewhere saying that my hair ideal is to look like “an exploded cigar”. Here’s a picture of me and Landis with our hairs.

Anyway, when Lando asked who the fellow in the picture actually was, I had no idea. I am a bit of a clot, when all is said and done.

But I decided to find out. The subject of the painting is one Henri Rochefort, a French writer. There are many paintings (and drawings and daguerreotypes and sculptures) of him online and he has spectacularly electrocuted hair in all of them.

I think we might have discovered an interesting person here. He wrote some very silly vordevilles, but he also became such an outspoken Socialist that he was locked up more than once and the French authorities even tried to deport him. That’s my kind of guy! Silly and radical. People think they can’t go together but they can, can, can so.

He was sentenced to be dumped on New Caledonia, a remote French colony on a Pacific Island. But he escaped! He escaped his deportment on what Wikipedia describes as “an American boat.”

His escape was painted in a rather celebratory way by Manet. I don’t know if Manet actually saw the boat on which Henri escaped, but it can’t have been a little rowboat like that one, can it? In the Pacific Ocean? If it was, then Henri was even more amazing than I currently think he is.

I like how Manet made Henri look heroic but, even in quite dire circumstances, also silly. Like Charlie Chaplin at sea. I think he probably captured his essence.

Let us honour all escapes in the form of Impressionist paintings.

Another detail: Henri Rochefort’s five-volume autobiography is called Les Aventures de ma vie, or, The Adventures of My Life. Even if we don’t actually write them, we should all live as if we intend to write five volumes of memoir called The Adventures of my Life. Don’t you think?

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Silly and radical, you say? Try my books, I’m Out and The Good Life for Wage Slaves. Or, more on theme, how about one of my dandyist humour collections like Stern Plastic Owl?

About

Robert Wringham is the editor of New Escapologist. He also writes books and articles. Read more at wringham.co.uk

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