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Remarques patriotiques

Olympe de Gouges · 1789

A 1789 pamphlet by Olympe de Gouges proposing social-welfare reforms such as care for the elderly, shelters for children, and work for the unemployed.

Her own pamphlet proposing social reforms, showing the range of her political thinking.

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Decorative printed border ornament in a rectangular frame: a central fleur-de-lis inside a sunburst of radiating lines, flanked by swags of foliage and scrolling acanthus leaves. Appears to be a page ornament from an 18th-century printed book.
Olympe de Gouges, Remarques patriotiques par la Citoyenne, Auteur de la Lettre au Peuple

About this source

What it is

Written by Olympe de Gouges and published in early 1789, this pamphlet sets out proposals for social security: care for the elderly, institutions for homeless children, hostels for the unemployed, and a jury system. It is held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Why it matters

Published on the eve of the Revolution, this pamphlet shows de Gouges thinking seriously about social welfare, not just political rights. It reveals the breadth of her reform agenda and her concern for the poorest in society, at a moment when France's old order was collapsing.

Look closer

  • What does the engraving accompanying the text (showing a crowned woman, a tree with a crown, and kneeling people) suggest about how monarchy and people were imagined at this time?
  • Why might a writer combine calls for social welfare with calls for a jury system?
  • What groups does she say need help, and why might they have been overlooked before?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Olympe de Gouges on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Printed page of the 1791 Declaration des droits de la femme et de la citoyenne, with the title in large capitals, a subtitle addressed to the National Assembly, and the opening Preambule paragraphs in French text.Document

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Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen

Olympe de Gouges · 1791

Painted allegory of the 1789 French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. A title plaque reads 'Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen' above two tablets of text. A seated woman with chains and a standing winged figure with a wand flank the plaque, under a radiant eye in a triangle.Document

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Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

National Constituent Assembly · 1789

Printed broadside titled 'Les Trois Urnes, ou le Salut de la Patrie, par un Voyageur Aérien' in large capitals on an orange-tinted page, with dense multi-column French text below the title.Document

Primary source

Les Trois Urnes, ou le Salut de la Patrie, par un voyageur aérien

Olympe de Gouges · 1793

Pastel-style portrait of a woman with powdered grey hair piled high, wearing a white shawl, against a dark brown and grey background. She has a slight smile and looks toward the viewer.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Olympe de Gouges

Alexander Kucharsky

Title page scan of the 1793 French text 'Testament politique d'Olympe de Gouges', printed in serif type with a decorative rule above and below the title. The opening paragraph begins with 'O divine providence!' and is partly faded and smudged.Document

Primary source

Testament politique d'Olympe de Gouges

Olympe de Gouges · June 1793

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