Getting to Know the Characters: Virginie

Virginie 

Virginie, portrayed by John Singer Sargent compared to a real life picture

• Virginie Avegno Gautreau: main character of I am Madame X, 
• About the Character (important events):
• Lived with her immediate family, aunt, and grandmother at Parlange, which was her grandmother's plantation in Louisiana
• Lost her father, younger sister, and grandmother at a young age
• After the death of her father, her mother takes Virginie and her sister to France
• Stays in a Convent for a while before returning to Louisiana, only to come back and find that it was destroyed
• Has a primarily bad relationship with her mother
• The only person she truly loves and sees a friend in is her aunt, her mother's sister, Julie
• After going to France, she gets noticed for her beauty and becomes famous because of it
• Has a mostly sexual relationship with prominent doctor, Dr. Pozzi, who is older than her. Despite her mother's warnings about the young doctor, Virginie falls in love with him. Near the end of their relationship, she finds out of his relationship with a prostitute and finds out that she is pregnant from him. This marks the end of their relationship, as he insists that he didn't promise her anything and that he's at the peak of his career, so he cannot marry her. After this, she doesn't see him in a long time until she runs into him again at an exhibition, displaying John Singer Sargent's painting, in which Dr. Pozzi is the subject.
• Because Virginie is no longer considered "pure", se cannot marry. As a solution, Pierre, her mother's friend, offers to participate in a marriage blanc, in which they are legally married but do not engage in any marital activities. They marry and she moves into his mother's house, where she stays with him and his real lover. 
• During the early years of her marriage, she has an affair with Leon Gambetta, a Republican leader. Although she liked him and learned a grear deal from him, Virginie admitted that she was not in love with him, as she had been with Dr. Pozzi. 
• Her relationship with him ended when she left him in a village. Furious, Gambetta later wrote to her, ending their relationship. Virginie claimed that she would've gotten him back if she tried, but she was growing tired of his ill health, endless talking, shabby apartment, and indifferent sexual abilities
• After Madame Jeuland, Pierre's lover, moved to London, Virginie and Pierre began their relationship, which was, again, mostly sexual and lasted for a short time. It was over as soon as it began. During this time, Virginie became pregnant with their daughter, Louise. 
• Characteristics:
• Vain: Throughout the book, there are many instances where the reader can tell that Virginie became very vain and self-centered. As more and more people made remarks about her stunning beauty, she began to feel entitled to such compliments and soon began to think that way too. Just like her mother, she loved the attention that she got from everyone. Even though her mother used her beauty for her own benefit, Virginie didn't mind the attention or feel the need to stop her mother. It eventually got to her head and she became incredibly egotistical, so much so that I noticed  every time she met someone new at her mother's parties, she would always comment on their appearance first, being very judgmental and harsh. 
• Self-involved: Something else that is very apparent throughout the book is Virginie's lack of awareness for people other than herself. In other words, she very self-involved and clueless. An example of this is the time that there was an actual war going on, but all Virginie was worried was her canceled date with Dr. Pozzi. Even days and weeks after the date that was supposed to happen didn't, she only thought about that and sat at home all day, mourning. Instead if worrying about the war, she was only concerned about whether or not Dr. Pozzi had forgotten about her or not. 



Virginie, as portrayed by John Singer Sargent

• Gullible: When Virginie was still a teenager, and at the peak of her fame, she met Dr. Samuel-Jean Pozzi. Although her mother warned her about how he was a notorious player who preys on "girls younger than you [Virginie] and woman older than me [Mama]", Virginie doesn't listen to this warning and pursues him anyway. Dr. Pozzi is nice to her, treats her well, and takes her out for dinner. Because of all of this, Virginie finds herself falling in love with him. She doesn't realize, however, that he's always manipulated her, as she was much younger than him and a teenager when they first met, to get what he ultimately wanted, which was to sleep with her. She's a weak judge of character, because she's always noticed little things about him that made him look not as genuine as she thinks, such as when he looked more than delighted seeing her naked when she was filling in for a nude model or when he initiated sex right after she was so hurt by Georges' death, yet she still thinks he's going to stay with her and that he's a good person.
• Madame Gautreau in art:



Madame Pierre Gautreau (1897), Antonio de La Gandara

Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast (1882-1883), John Singer Sargent

Madame Gautreau (1891), Gustave Courtois