On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Paris Commune of 1871, the presence of women and their initiatives were rightly celebrated. Several accounts, those of Victorine Brocher, Alix Payen, and of course Louise Michel, are regularly republished. It would be a shame to overlook Natalie Le Mel simply because she published little. She was a woman of action and determination who, even after returning from deportation, resumed the fight for social justice and her anarchist convictions. Dominique Sureau retraces the journey of this woman from Brest, Brittany, to her role as an activist in the International Workingmen's Association (IWA), from the Paris Commune to her quiet death-a forgotten woman rediscovered in this book, *The Journey of Natalie Le Mel, Woman Among Women*, published by Éditions du Petit Pavé.
Natalie Le Mel was "a concentrated expression of revolt against the injustices that then afflicted the poorest members of society." Born in the poor neighborhoods of Brest in 1826, she witnessed this suffering firsthand, even though her family was relatively well-off. She received an education that instilled in her a love of reading. After her marriage, the couple settled in Quimper, managing a bookstore, and then in Paris in 1861 in the 17th arrondissement. Her commitment grew stronger. Already a feminist, she made her views public and joined the International Workingmen's Association (IWA) in 1865, becoming its first member. She met Eugène Varlin, and together they created La Marmite, this "powerful center of propaganda," according to James Guillaume. They offered meals and ideas. She became involved in the Interprofessional Solidarity and Struggle Fund in 1866. Natalie Le Mel embraced collective action and union activism. She would go on to open other La Marmites.
At the time of the Commune, she joined the Women's Union for the Defense of Paris and the Care of the Wounded. Serving as an ambulance driver and barricade builder, she combined devotion with political action. Her name appears on posters, but Dominique Sureau laments the difficulty in finding more extensive documentation.
To Refute Nothing
After the Bloody Week, she was arrested in the Monnaie district of the 6th arrondissement of Paris. At her trial, she acknowledged all her actions, showing no remorse, in the same vein as Louise Michel, though with less emphasis. Imprisoned in the Auberive prison under very harsh conditions, she was put on board the Virginie with Rochefort, Louise Michel (whom she steered towards anarchism), and other courageous and forgotten women. In poor health, she was pardoned and returned to mainland France in 1879; the Picardie docked at Port-Vendres. It was difficult to find her bearings in an environment that had changed so much. She settled on Rue du Faubourg-du-Temple and resumed her activism at the bookbinders' trade association, paying tribute to deceased Communards like Varlin. Far from limiting herself to commemoration and memorial events, she continued to advocate for a Communard policy alongside Gustave Lefrançais.
Falling into abject poverty and blindness, she entered the Hospice d'Ivry in 1915, where she died in 1921. The oldest surviving combatant of the Paris Commune was buried in a common grave, like Élisée Reclus. Tributes continued to follow... a little late, "but the idea endures."
* Dominique Sureau
Itinéraires de Natalie Le Mel
Ed. du Petit Pavé, 2025
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8897
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Link: (en) France, Monde Libertaire - IDEAS AND STRUGGLES: The Journey of Natalie Le Mel (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]
Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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