A Photo of Henrietta and Constance Daugney, 1859
Seldom have two otherwise nondescript sisters made such a mark on history. Henrietta and Constance shocked Victorian England by writing a series of adaptations of the texts of the Marquis de Sade for the London stage, which caused an uproar that lasted for nearly one year (1856-57). The pair was firm in declaring their playwriting efforts art, and attempted to secure one of the biggest theatres in London for their lavish production of Volume I of Aline et Valcour (arguably one of de Sade's tamer texts). The play never reached its opening night, being shut down by the authorities on grounds of morality, and the sisters retreated to the countryside, where they threw regular parties and had guests act out scenes from their censored opus.
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