Jeanne-Marie Suize beat the pants off other women’s rights advocates of the era – quite literally. She didn’t talk about suffrage; she lived it. She ran a successful vineyard. She was the first woman to sign an official petition in her county. And she wore men’s pants in an era when she could be arrested for it.
The History
A bit of background is in order. Susan B. Anthony was the grandmother of women’s rights. Right after the Civil War, she co-founded the American Equal Rights Association. It worked for the rights of both women and African Americans. The 19th amendment finally gave women the right to vote in 1920.
The Gold Rush
Meanwhile, the Gold Rush of 1849 had attracted people from all over the globe to California. Jeanne-Marie Suize came from Savoy in south-east France with her brother to pan for gold in Jackson, CA. It was a haphazard new town of rough board buildings and canvas tents. She didn’t bother setting up housekeeping. Instead, she rolled up her sleeves and panned gold with the rest of the Argonauts.
The Fashion Police
1851 Paris fashion, from Wikimedia Commons
Women’s fashion throughout the 1800s involved yards and yards of fabric. Even a woman’s work dress was long, heavy, and dragged the ground. Can you imagine shoveling dirt in a mining ditch, dressed like that? Neither could Marie. She figured if she was doing a man’s work, she should wear a man’s clothes. Makes sense, right?
Not in the Victorian era! It was illegal for a woman to wear men’s clothing at the time. But since Amador County sat in the heart of rough-and-tumble gold country, it took a few years for formal civilization to tame it. (California didn’t even become a state until 1850.) By the time ‘society’ had turned the mining town into a more civilized outpost, Madame Pantaloons was a local fixture. The district court quickly issued her a permit for the attire that inspired her nickname.
The Signature
After the Gold Rush petered out, her brother went back to France. But Marie bought land and developed a vineyard. She soon had a successful winemaking business. Since she was a founding member of the community, county officials allowed her to sign a petition in 1869, 50 years before women could vote. Embracing her hard-won reputation, she signed it, “Marie Suize Pantalon.” (Pantalon is French for pants.)
The Arrests
As her business grew, Marie began to export her vintage. She personally took deliveries as far as San Francisco and Virginia City, Nevada. Unfortunately, those cities hadn’t gotten the memo about this woman who wore pants. She was arrested twice – once in each location. Her permit from Jackson got her out of jail, at least.
The Legacy
Aside from losing money on a risky investment, not much else is recorded about Marie Suize*. She retired to her Secreta Gulch winery near Jackson, where she died in 1892 at the age of 67. Her memory is preserved by a handful of history buffs, French bloggers, and other writers. So, I find myself in good company by adding her as a character to my second historical novel**. How could I resist? She truly is my favorite feminist!
*Since Marie Suize had a business in Virginia City in the 1870s, she could have been part of any number of investments that went sour. At least as many people went bust as those who struck it rich in the silver mines. And then there was the Sutro Tunnel, which would have paid handsomely if the silver mines hadn’t suddenly played out.
c. 2011 Carolyn VanGorkom
**Sign up for blog updates, and I’ll be sure to let you know when Running Home Book 2, Home and a Future is published! You can find the first book here.
Photos c. 2016: The first and third photos in this post are of my daughter, posing as Jeanne Marie outside my childhood home in the California foothills. (I have a photo release from her mother. ? )
Affiliate Links in use: please see this disclaimer page.
Recent Comments