11.00 USD
There are a few flaws on the surface of this card, but Mlle. Fleuron in this magnificent Belle Epoque headdress had to make her appearance anyway :)
Lise Fleuron, born Marguerite Rauscher in the 1870s, may have read as a young lady what was considered at the time a scandalous novel, "Lise Fleuron" (1884) by French novelist Georges Ohnet. This was apparently a rather spicy tale of decadent life in the theater, so why wouldn't she take the name of its lead character, a fallen woman with a big heart, for her stage name? It certainly wouldn't have been the first time this was done... "You loved her in the novel, just wait 'til you see her dance and sing on our stage!"
Lise Fleuron was particularly well known for her plunging necklines! She was a very popular performer, appearing at the Café des Ambassadeurs and the Alcazar d'Ete from the mid-eighties (our thanks to dutempsdescerisesauxfeuillesmortes.net for this history!).
Again, the timing of this bears out our hypothesis that she based her stage persona on the 1884 novel's main character.
According to Mlle. Polaire (that Belle Epoque performer notorious for her extreme wasp-waist :), Mlle. Fleuron married Polaire's older brother, Edmond Bouchaud (known as Dufleuve) a popular songwriter and singer of the time.
We are also great fans of Meaty (sometimes Miati) Fleuron, Lise's sister, who, from the images we've seen, favored the same plunging necklines and who (and we base this only upon her facial expressions) was the kind of "brassy dame" popular American culture often seems to imagine working in a Parisian music hall.
Anyhow, we love them both :)
This card has a little brown spot, left center, the name Julia, written
beneath the portrait (probably the name of the sender, a common practice on posted, undivided-back cards pre 1904, when any sort of writing beyond the recipient's address was prohibited by regulation), and a not very obvious scratch above the headdress. Flaws, yes, but a wonderful card just the same!
Please examine our high res scans for detail.
The item you are considering for purchase is, unless otherwise noted, a vintage postcard of approximately 5 and 1/2, by 3 and 1/2 inches. Postage is for fully-insured, first class shipping in a secure photo mailer (to avoid any damage to your purchase in the mails), and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will not charge for postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more. We do not charge for insurance or shipping materials, and as of the date of this listing are still charging below our overall cost on shipping.
And please come visit our blog at:
redpoulaine.blogspot.com
where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!