She married in 1856 to a Louis Blanc, but three years later, after having a son, her husband left her. It isn't clear if he died or simple if they divorced, but she mentions in her letters to Stanton that after three years of a long and grieving time, she finally got free. But with this freedom also came the need for money to provide for her son, whose name is unknown (he is mentioned by the Goncourt brothers as the "son of Madame Blanc").