Villemeureux e Auvray
Des journalistes complaisans ont présenté comme une merveille cette fille ou femme invisible
La Clef du cabinet des souverains, Paris 26 february 1800, pp. 9457-9458.
1 volume available
Against the journalists who presented the "invisible girl or woman" as a marvel, the paper publishes the eyewitness account of Villemeureux, sergeant-major of the Consular Guard, and Auvray. The chest ("a kind of coffin, half cardboard, half glass") hangs in front of a freshly whitewashed wall; a three-mouthed speaking trumpet carries the questions to the wall, behind which the girl, hidden in a cupboard disguised under new plaster, watches the spectators through a small hole and answers by putting her lips to the wall. On leaving, the authors meet again the "little clog-maker" who, having shed her invisibility, escorts the visitors down the stairs; the account also explains why she speaks in a low voice. Admission costs 1 franc 50 centimes. Full transcription and Italian translation.
Language
French
