Émilienne d'Alençon (17 July 1870 – 14 February 1945) was a French dancer, actress, and

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

Biography

Born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, d'Alençon made her début at the Cirque d'été in 1889 before appearing at the

Casino de Paris The Casino de Paris, located at 16, rue de Clichy, in the 9th arrondissement, is one of the well known music halls of Paris, with a history dating back to the 18th century. Contrary to what the name might suggest, it is a performance venue, not ...

, Menus-Plaisirs,

Folies Bergère 150px, Stanisław Julian Ignacy Ostroróg">Walery, 1927 The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the arc ...

, Paris Scala, and the

Théâtre des Variétés The Théâtre des Variétés () is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7–8, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1974. History The theatre owed its creation to Mademoiselle Montans ...

. Among her earlier shows were ''Paris Boulevards'', ''Vénus d'Arles,'' and ''Que d'eau Que d'eau''. She appeared in ''La Belle et la Bête'' at the Folies Bergère and she danced in the ballet ''The Red Slippers'' in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She also performed as a dancer at the Paris Olympia in ''Faust'' and ''Grand Ballet Féerie''. In 1892, she came on stage as a snake dancer. Renowned as a courtesan, she was involved in a number of affairs including one with the industrialist

Étienne Balsan Étienne Balsan (February 11, 1878 – 1953) was born in Paris, France, as Fulcran Étienne Balsan. Life A French socialite and heir, he was born into the family of wealthy industrialists from Châteauroux (Indre) who created Balsan (Compa ...

. In 1895, she married the jockey Percy Woodland. Émilienne d'Alençon left the stage in 1906 and invested in

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

. After losing her fortune on drugs and gambling in 1931, she was forced to sell her property and lavish furniture. She died in

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

on 14 February 1945 and was buried at the Batignolles cemetery in Paris in the mausoleum of her maternal family, the Normand chapel. File:Cheret, Jules - Emilienne d´Alencon (pl 113).jpg, Poster from between 1896 and 1900 "Émilienne d'Alençon, tous les soirs" File:Amélie Diéterle, Ève Lavallière et Émilienne d'Alençon, au théâtre (A).jpg,

Amélie Diéterle Amélie Diéterle (20 February 1871 – 20 January 1941) was a French actress and opera singer. She was one of the popular actresses of the Belle Époque until the beginning of the Années Folles. Amélie Diéterle inspired the poets Léon D ...

Ève Lavallière Ève Lavallière (; born Eugénie Marie Pascaline Fenoglio, 1 April 1866 – 10 July 1929) was a French stage actress and later a noteworthy Catholic penitent and member of the Secular Franciscan Order. Biography Ève Lavallière was born at 8 ...

and Émilienne d'Alençon, at the

, in Paris in 1898. File:ALENÇON, Emilienne d' Étoile. 758-64. Photo Nadar.jpg, (

Nadar Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (; 5 April 1820 – 20 March 1910), known by the pseudonym Nadar () or Félix Nadar'','' was a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist, balloon (aircraft), balloonist, and proponent of History of avi ...

)

In popular culture

She was portrayed by

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portr ...

in '' Chanel Solitaire'' and by

Emmanuelle Devos Emmanuelle Devos (born 10 May 1964) is a French actress. She is the daughter of actress Marie Henriau. She won the César Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in ''Sur mes lèvres'', directed by Jacques Audiard. She has also been ...

in ''

Coco Before Chanel ''Coco Before Chanel'' () is a 2009 biographical drama film directed and co-written by Anne Fontaine. The film stars Audrey Tautou and details the early life of French fashion designer Coco Chanel. The film premiered in Paris on 6 April 2009 and ...

''.

References

2. Chéri film.

Literature

* Auriant (pseud. d'Alexandre Hadjivassiliou). Émilienne d'Alençon. Bruxelles: Éditions de la nouvelle revue belgique, 1942 * Ochaim B., Balk C.: ''Varieté-Tänzerinnen um 1900. Vom Sinnenrausch zur Tanzmoderne, Ausstellung des Deutschen Theatermuseums München 23. Oktober 1998 – 17. Januar 1999.'', Stroemfeld, Frankfurt/M. 1998, * Dufresne Cl. Trois grâces de la Belle Epoque. Paris: Bartillat, 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Alencon, Emilienne d 1869 births 1946 deaths French female dancers French vedettes Actresses from Paris Burials at Batignolles Cemetery Courtesans from Paris Dancers from Paris

Biography

In popular culture

See also

References

Literature