100 - Rare lithograph by Lemoine: Portrait of Madame Angélique Duchemin, widow of Brulon (January 20, 1772/July 13, 1859), dressed as a second lieutenant of the Invalides and decorated with the Knight’s Cross of the Legion of Honor, inscribed and signed at the bottom: “To my beloved Madame Forget. A. Brulon, widow, 1852”; presented in a small frame made of cardboard and red felt; 18 x 14 cm, with the frame 24 x 18 cm. (A few foxing spots).

Rare lithograph by Lemoine: Portrait of Madame Angélique Duchemin, widow of Brulon (January 20, 1772/July 13, 1859), dressed as a second lieutenant of the Invalides and decorated with the Knight’s Cross of the Legion of Honor, inscribed and signed at the bottom: “To my beloved Madame Forget. A. Brulon, widow, 1852”; presented in a small frame made of cardboard and red felt; 18 x 14 cm, with the frame 24 x 18 cm. (A few foxing spots). Dated 1852. Good condition. This is the first version of the lithograph; the second version also depicts her wearing the Medal of Saint Helena. She was the first woman to receive the Knight’s Cross of the Legion of Honor, on August 5, 1851. In 1793, she served as a quartermaster corporal and sergeant major in the 42nd Regiment; she served in Corsica in 1793 and 1794. LACOMBE SAINT-MICHEL (LACOMBE du Tarn): “She served under my command as a noncommissioned officer while I was in command of the French army in Corsica; she conducted herself in that rank in the most irreproachable manner and distinguished herself in battle before me; she displayed qualities surpassing those of her gender. In short, she is noted by all for her moral and military qualities; she is an example of bravery, composure, justice, and severity.” She distinguished herself during the Battle of Fort Gesco on the 5th of Prairial, Year II; she continued her career in Nice, Toulon, and Marseille from 1795 to 1796; she was wounded in combat. She left the army and joined the administration responsible for clothing, equipment, and encampments of the Army of Italy as a clerical clerk. She moved to Paris in 1797 following her request to be admitted to Les Invalides, made to General BERRUYER, commander-in-chief of the National Home for Disabled Soldiers; she was admitted there on the 24th of Frimaire, Year VII (December 14, 1798); She was commissioned as a second lieutenant (disabled) on October 2, 1822; she received the Order of the Lily in 1823, followed by the Knight’s Cross of the Legion of Honor on August 5, 1851. REFERENCE: See the complete history of this female soldier in the journal of the Society of Friends of the Army Museum, No. 64, 1961.