The Hydropathes was a Parisian literary club founded by the French novelist and poet Émile Goudeau and primarily active between 1878 and 1880. The club published the journal "L'Hydropathe", which was later renamed "Le Tout-Paris". It is considered to be the origin of fumism and passed his traditions on to the Hirsutes, Le Chat-Noir and "le Décadent". Jules Lévy, founder of the Arts Incohérents, was a member.
History
Formation After the Franco-Prussian War,Grojnowski ‘Hydropathes and Co.’, p.96. many literary clubs of extremely varied longevity and importance were created in Paris. The Hydropathes' club was one of the most imporant due to its longevity and the artists that participated in it.
The club was created by Émile Goudeau on October 11, 1878.Rearick, Charles (1985). Pleasures of the Belle Epoque: Entertainment and Festivity in Turn-of-the Century France. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 55. Goudeau stated that, due to the group's lack of a "common programme", they simply chose "a name that wouldn’t compromise any of the society’s future doctrines or possible apostasies". Thus, the name's ambiguity lead to the proposal of several etymologies and interpretations, with many of them related to water due to the use of "hydro-" in the name. The name has been interpreted as a play on words deconstructing Goudeau's name into "Gout d'eau" (in English "the taste of water"). A "Blague Hydropathe" implied that the name came from the fact that the club met at the Hôtel Boileau, transforming its name into "Boire l'eau" (in English "to drink water").3 ‘Blagues Hydropathesques,’ l’Hydropathe, 1 (22 January 1879), p.4. However, this explanation is considered as a subtle attempt at mocking readers. Many believe that the name expresses the group's aversion to drinking water, as Montmartre was characterized by excess and, in particular, the consumption of absinthe. Finally, it has been suggested that the name may be a reference to the hydra, using it either as a symbol of revolution and anarchy or a representation of "bourgeois conformity".Grojnowski, ‘ Hydropathes and Co.’, p.99.
The group began holding meetings, that they referred to as "séances", on every Wednesday and Friday evening.
L'Hydropathe
Beginnings The club's journal, named "L'Hydropathe", began production in January 1879, with its first edition being published on 22 January. It was released bimonthly and had a mostly consistent structure. Each edition's cover had a caricature portrait of a Hydropathe drawn by Georges Lorin (also known as "Cabriol")Catherine Charpin, Les Arts incohérents (1882–1893), Paris, Editions Syros Alternatives, 1990, p. 117. and contained a mix of poetry, prose and illustrations. Regarding its organization, "Goudeau acted as Editor-in-Chief, Paul Vivien as Chief Administrator, and the role of administrator was shared between Alce d’Alis, Jules Jouy, Paul Allais, Émile Cohl and Maurice Petit".
Renaming as "Tout-Paris" and End After publishing 32 editions, it was decided that the ideas that existed surrounding "L'Hydropathe", were beginning to limit artists. Because of this, its editors decided to expand the team, start publishing weekly and, most importantly, renaming the journal "Tout-Paris". The group decided to leave the Latin Quarter and establish themselves in the hills of Montmartre.Luc Bihl-Willette, 1997, Des tavernes aux bistrots: histoire des café, p.145, original (French): "en 1880 Goudeau prend une décision révolutionnaire: il quitte le Quartier latin, suivi des principaux Hydropathes, et rejoint sur les flancs de la Butte Montmartre ...". Translation: "in 1880 Goudeau took a revolutionary decision: he left the Latin Quarter, followed by the main Hydropathes, and, on the slopes of the Butte Montmartre, joined ...". On his memoir, Goudeau states these decisions were taken due to the fact that a man with the pseudonym "Joinville" expressed interest in helping the journal grow sginificantly and relocating it on 40 Rue de Richelieu.
However, by leaving the Latin Quarter, the journal became separated from its audience composed of local students and also separated itself from the "séances" that helped to make it popular, tied it to comperary ideas and served as a source of funding and inspiration. This meant the journal was dependent on Joinville's investments allowing it to build a new audience. For this reason, once Joinville's fortune was lost on in a game of cards, the journal had stop publishing in June 1880. It only released five editions under its new name, the covers for these were illustrated by Eugène Bataille (also known as "Sapeck").Pakenham Michael. L'illustre Sapeck. In: Romantisme, 1992, n°75. Les petits maîtres du rire. pp. 35–42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/roman.1992.5999, p.37-38, original (French): "Sapeck, le roi des fumistes, a dû y faire son apprentissage aux frais des pions qui le connaissaient sous le nom d'Eugène François Bonaventure Bataille, né au Mans le 7 mai 1853.". Translation: "Sapeck, king of the fumistes, must have apprenticed there at the expense of the pawns who knew him as Eugène François Bonaventure Bataille, born in Le Mans on May 7, 1853.".
The End of The Hydropathes Throughout the group's history, there were quite a few occasions in which Goudeau had to function as an authoritarian figure in order to control a "tumultuous assembly". However, this problem worsened over time, with the group having multiple encounters with the police.Jules Lévy, Les Hydropathes, (Paris. Andre Delpeuch, 1928) Goudeau reached his breaking point when, in June 1880, a group of artists decided to set off fireworks in the middle of a "séance", marking their end.
The Hirsutes, Le Chat-Noir and Le Décadent After the group separated, its traditions were passed onto "three direct heirs: the Hirsutes, Le Chat-Noir and le Décadent".
In late September 1881, in an attempt to reunite the Hydropathes, Maurice Petit held a meeting with Léo Trézenik, Desbouiges, Collignon and Jules Jouy They were also joined by Goudeau and Moynet. The group was looking for a new name and Goudeau suggested "Hirsutes", it was accepted and Petit was chosen as president. While the project seemed hopeless after its first advertisements yielded no results, its Friday "séances" quickly gained popularity, causing the group to grow and change meeting locations several times to accommodate a larger crowd.
In November of the same year, the cabaret Le Chat-Noir openedDonnay, Maurice. Autour du Chat noir [Around The Chat Noir]. Grasset, 1926. and Goudeau, along with other ex-Hydropathes, began performing there. In the cabaret, the dynamic between artists and their audience changed. Artists were respected and interacted in a private room while customers were often insulted, being addressed as "mon cochon" (meaning "pig" in english). Over time, Petit lost popularity, was forced to abdicate the presidency and Goudeau took over. On October 2, 1882,Laurine Fontaine. Les Arts Incohérents et leur siècle, un mouvement artistique et littéraire. Un mouvement de rupture et de continuité : héritages et aspirations artistico-littéraires d’une esthétique nouvelle. Art et histoire de l’art. 2022. ffdumas-04958324f Jules Lévy, an ex-Hydropathe and founding member of the Hirsutes,Richard, N. (1957). À l’Aube du Symbolisme. Paris: Nizet. staged "an exhibition of drawings by people who can't draw",Lévy, J. (1885, March 12). L’Incohérence, son origine, son histoire, son avenir.Le Courrier Français. p.3, original (French): «Faire une exposition de dessins exécutés par des gens qui ne savent pas dessiner.». Translation: "An exhibition of drawings made by people who can't draw.". which marked the beginning of the Arts Incohérents. By January 1883, Goudeau had completely lost interest in the Hirsutes, choosing to focus on Le Chat-Noir. This was a sentiment shared by many other members.Trézenik, L. (2016). Les Hirsutes. Hachette BNF. (Original work published 1884) The final "séance" was held by a single member in May of the same year.
After these events, several short-lived publications appeared in Montmartre. Among these, one of the most important was "Le Décadent". It started out as a weekly publication and its first edition was published on April 10, 1886, under the direction of Anatole Baju.Anatole Baju, l’École décadente. Paris, Vanier, 1887. "Le Décadent" gained popularity very quickly and, starting with its 36th edition, became longer and was published bimonthly. At the time, its writers were: "Paul Verlaine, Maurice du Plessys, Laurent Tailhade, Léo d’Arkaï, Albert Aurier, Ernest Raynaud, Jean Lorrain, F.-A. Cazals, Boyer d’Agen, Louis Pilate de Brinn’Gaubast, Jules Renard, Arthur Rimbaud". It is important to mention the fact that, in Rimbaud's case, some of the poems that were published were fake and they were attributed to him were created in order to attract attention.Anthologie du pastiche, Léon Deffoux et Pierre Dufay, tome second, G.Grès, Paris, 1926. On April 15, 1889, "Le Décadent" began being published under the name "La France Littéraire" and Baju had the intention to shift its focus towards sociology and politics.Baju, A. (1891). L’Anarchie littéraire (1st ed.). Librairie Léon Vanier. This change was not well received, the publication lost popularity and many writers abandoned it. This marked the end of "Le Décadent", which ceased publication under its new name on May 15, 1889.PRELIA: (Petites REvues de LIttérature et d’Art). (n.d.). [Dataset; Digital]. Hypotheses. https://prelia.fr/base/opac_css/index.php?lvl=bulletin_display&id=1176
1928 Reunion On October 17, 1928, Jules Lévy invited former Hydropathes to celebrate the club's 50th anniversary in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne.Jacques Patin, Le cinquantenaire des Hydropathes. Un manquant », Le Figaro, mercredi 17 octobre 1928 , p.1, original (French) «A l'appel de M. Jules Lévy, [...] les Hydropathes, réunis cet après-midi dans le grand amphithéâtre de la Sorbonne, fêteront leur cinquantenaire. [...] on nous assure que les Hydropathes ne sont plus que cinquante-quatre». Translation: "At the invitation of Mr. Jules Lévy, [...] the Hydropathes, meeting this afternoon in the grand amphitheatre of the Sorbonne, will celebrate their fiftieth anniversary. [...] we are told that the Hydropathes are now down to fifty-four". Fifty-four members attended the event, which was featured in the front page of Le Figaro.
The Hydropathes and Fumism