Fair Victoire and la Monchien

Marie-Victoire Lavorde (or Lavertu?), known as La Belle Victoire, and Marie-Françoise Monchin, known as Manette La Monchien, were both members of a dreaded band of criminals known as the Orgères gang (la bande d’Orgères), active in France between 1792 and 1798. La Belle Victoire married one of the leaders, Rouge d’Auneau, during a particularly picturesque wedding ceremony consecrated by the “priest” of the gang. The periodical^[1] reviewed in the article of L’Illustration from which this picture was taken describes her as follows:

she’s a tall girl about twenty-five years old… She was the mistress of Longjumeau and Rouge d’Auneau, with whom she shared secrets, successes and setbacks. At the time of her acquittal, she was plagued with incurable scabies.

La Monchien drew attention to herself during the trial for her coarse language and her nature little prone to embarrassment. She was found not guilty too.

The caption reads in the original French: La belle Victoire et la Monchien.