Joséphine-Félicité-Augustine Brohan (1824–1893) was a French actress. The eldest daughter of Augustine Susanne Brohan and the sister of Émilie Madeleine Brohan, she was admitted to the

Conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

when very young, twice taking the second prize for comedy. The ''

soubrette A soubrette is a type of operatic soprano voice ''fach'', often cast as a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy". Theatre In theatre, a soubrette is a ...

'' part, entrusted for more than 150 years at the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

to a succession of artists of the first rank, was at the moment without a representative, and Mlle Augustine Brohan made her debut there on May 19, 1841, as Dorine in ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; french: Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur, ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical thea ...

'', and Lise in ''Rivaux deux-mêmes''. She was immediately admitted , and at the end of eighteen months unanimously elected . She soon became a great favorite, not only in the plays of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and worl ...

and de Regnard, but also in those of

Marivaux Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (4 February 1688 – 12 February 1763), commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French playwright and novelist. He is considered one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century, writing num ...

. On her retirement from the stage in 1866, she made an unhappy marriage with Edmond David de Gheest (died 1885), secretary to the Belgian legation in Paris.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brohan, Josephine French stage actresses 1824 births 1893 deaths 19th-century French actresses Sociétaires of the Comédie-Française French salon-holders