Art Throb # 9: Chevalier d'Eon (1792) by Thomas Stewart

Portrait of a lady?

Chevalier d'Eon (1792) by Thomas Stewart

Oil on canvas, 73.7 x 67.2 cm

National Portrait Gallery, London

The painting itself is unremarkable; it's the subject matter that's caused a sensation. For decades this canvas went unnoticed, and no wonder: with its grotty green-brown background and conventional composition there's not much to arrest the attention – until one looks more closely. The figure in the picture is not what one would at first assume. What was presumed to be a woman is actually a man, swarthy skin (he's not even bothered to shave) and all. Once the artist's name, which had been obscured by dirt, had been revealed it didn't take long for art historians to track down the identity of the sitter. Perhaps he would be pleased: it is because the painting itself is so dull that he passed so successfully as a woman for so long – the ultimate goal of all serious transvestites.

Depicted here wearing the colours of the French flag, the gentleman in question is transvestite icon Charles Geneviève Louis Auguste André Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont, after whom the Beaumont Society, which provides help and support for the transgender and cross-dressing community, is named. Born in France in 1728, d'Eon lived in London from 1762-1777 as a man, and from 1785-1810 as a woman, when he claimed to have been born female. Before living as a woman he was a soldier and diplomat involved in negotiating the Peace of Paris in 1763, ending the seven years war between France and Britain. Long before modern transvestites such as Eddie Izzard and Grayson Perry, D'Eon achieved notoriety on both sides of the Channel at a time when men caught dressing as women could be severely punished. That he should have chosen to live as a woman is especially intriguing given how disenfranchised women were in comparison with men. London society is said to have been particularly accepting of him, and after living in London as a woman, d'Eon is said never to have returned to France.

A genre I don't know much about, it seems to me that portraiture was almost an 18th Century equivalent of cosmetic surgery, enabling sitters to present an idealised version of themsleves to the world. Perhaps this is D'Eon's idealised version of himself (although the stubble is puzzling - perhaps it's a joke: the medal too may be a reference to D'Eon's military occupation). However, most portraits were straightforward, depicting people's real identities, as opposed to characters or personas. The resemblance to David Cameron here has been much noted, which is a shame: it's almost as if the subject's facial expression suggests that even he knows that comparison is being made and he is tired of hearing it. It's probable he's trying to cultivate an expression of soft, unthreatening femininity.

The National Portrait Gallery recently announced the acquisition of this amazing painting. It is one I must make an effort to see in the flesh.