The actress Rachel (21 February 1821 – 3 January 1858) had a soul of exceptional quality !
She hated gossip and we have many witnesses of the fact that – although she lived in a cruel ambient - she forbad any criticism of her colleagues in her own circle and house. Born by chance in Mumpf (Aargau canton) in Switzerland, she was from Jewish family from the Alsace region (a land that France and Germany often contest during their History). Her father was a poor peddler, her mother sang in the streets… and the girl often earned money, when a child, singing also in the streets (also later on in Paris…) After her birth, went 3 sisters and a brother.
The family came to Paris at the beginning of the ’30 and, after a difficult period , Rachel began to study song, dramatic art and elocution. Admitted in the prestigious school of the french Conservatory of Dramatic Art (her private teacher, an old actor, helped her) she quickly became the best pupil of the staff; after few exhibitions in private theaters (here she was given her stage name Rachel) she entered the Comédie Française in 1838, in a classic tragedy (Horace of Pierre Corneille). At this time she was the mistress of Louis Véron, a wealthy french manufacturer. He tried to make of Rachel simply a courtisane but she refused and never abandoned her work on the theatre.
She began to provide to the all family, giving lessons to her sisters (the 3 entered later the Comédie Française) and making a tour manager of her brother Raphael.
Touring in England (1846) she met Louis- Napoléon and had an affair with him. She is also said to have had a short affair with Prince Napoléon (Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte). The character Vashti in Charlotte Brontë's novel Villette was based on Rachel, whom Brontë had seen performing in London.
But the most important affairs of her life were with
-the french poet Alfred de Musset (he called her “enfant sublime” (sublime child) and so many people after him
-and the son of Napoléon 1er , Alexandre Walewsky (she had a son with him in 1844).
Anyway, fro 1837 to 1855 she played theatre in Paris, France and in the world. her clear diction, rhythmic speech, and economy of gesture contrasted with the exaggerated style of the time. She had a hudge success everywhere. To be noted during 1854: touring in Warsaw, Saint Petersburg and Moscow (January-April) and 1855: touring from september to december in the United States.
But she was dramatically ill of tuberculosis at this time and, retired near Nice in France (trying to heal) she died on January 1858 and was buried in Paris (Père-Lachaise cemetery, Jewish quarter). 40 000 persons accompanied her to her grave and 4 french writers and poets sustained the coffin.
Here is an english text refering to Alfred de Musset and Rachel.
http://www.female-ancestors.com/daughters/felix.htmand now some pictures :
first, 2 pictures of Rachel on the stage:
the last one from a great artist, Achille Deveria (1800-1857)
Then a sculpture of Jean Auguste Barre (now in the Louvre) :
finally some drawings and paintings of her in the classic stage costume of Phedra :
On this last painting of the painter Faustin Besson (1821-1882) she is painted with all her colleagues of the National French Theatre (LA COMéDIE FRANçAISE) (the painting is still in this theater) but Rachel with her red coat is clearly dominating the group and at the center OF THE ATTENTION:
The next mistress of N3 had a rather longer affair with him...
so, to be continued ........./............
