Léopoldine Hugo

Léopoldine Hugo
Portrait of Léopoldine Hugo. Painted by Auguste de Châtillon in 1836, on the day of her first communion.
Born	Léopoldine Cécile Marie-Pierre Catherine Hugo 28 August 1824 (1824-08-28) Paris, France
Died	4 September 1843 (1843-09-05) (aged 19) Villequier, France
Nationality	French
Spouse(s)	Charles Vacquerie
Parent(s)	Victor Hugo Adèle Foucher

Léopoldine Hugo (Léopoldine Cécile Marie-Pierre Catherine Hugo; 28 August 1824 – 4 September 1843) was the eldest daughter of novelist, poet, and dramatist Victor Hugo and his wife, Adèle Foucher.

Early life

Léopoldine was born in Paris, the second of five children and eldest daughter of Victor Hugo and Adèle Foucher. She was named after her paternal grandfather, as was her brother Léopold.

Léopoldine had many suitors, including her future husband, Charles Vacquerie, whom she met while on holiday in 1839.

Later life and death

She married Charles Vacquerie at Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis on 15 February 1843, but they both drowned together only a few months later, when their boat capsized on the Seine in Villequier on 4 September 1843. She died when her wet, heavy skirts pulled her down, and her husband died trying to save her. This tragic event had a great impact on the work and personality of her father, Victor Hugo. He dedicated numerous poems to the memory of his daughter, notably Demain dès l'aube and À Villequier in Pauca Meae, the fourth book of Les Contemplations.

External links

• (French) Complete text of Contemplations, on Wikisource.
• (French) The Maison Vacquerie, in Villequier, houses the departemental Museum of Victor Hugo
• Reely's Poetry Pages Hear "Demain, des l'aube"
• Léopoldine – Série Noire (Swiss popband) Video on YouTube, musical version of the poem "Demain, dès l'aube", written by Léopoldines father Victor Hugo.