Henriette Henriot (born Marie Henriette Alphonsine Grossin; 14 November 1857 – 17 March 1944)
was an
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...
and a favourite
model of the French artist
Renoir from about 1874–1876.
[Bailey 1997, p. 134.] She is known for the model in his painting ''
La Parisienne
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
'' on display at the
National Museum, Cardiff.
Henriot, the daughter of Aline Grossin, a
milliner
Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter.
Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...
,
started at the
Conservatoire de musique et de déclamation
The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...
in Paris in 1872, where she studied acting. She was still using her birth name of Marie Henriette Alphonsine Grossin, and it wasn't until 1874 when she started to use her stage names of Henriette Henriot, Mademoiselle Henriot, and Madame Henriot when she was appearing in acting roles at the
Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique
The Théâtre de l’Ambigu-Comique (, literally, Theatre of the Comic-Ambiguity), a former Parisian theatre, was founded in 1769 on the boulevard du Temple immediately adjacent to the Théâtre de Nicolet. It was rebuilt in 1770 and 1786, but in ...
and had started modelling for Renoir as a way to earn extra cash.
It was at this point that she was performing in minor parts in the
Théâtre de l'Odéon,
Théâtre Libre The Théâtre Libre (French for "Free Theatre") was a theatre company that operated from 1887 to 1896 in Paris, France.
Origins and History
Théâtre Libre was founded on 30 March 1887 by André Antoine. The primary goal of the theatre was to ...
and
Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique
The Théâtre de l’Ambigu-Comique (, literally, Theatre of the Comic-Ambiguity), a former Parisian theatre, was founded in 1769 on the boulevard du Temple immediately adjacent to the Théâtre de Nicolet. It was rebuilt in 1770 and 1786, but in ...
.
Colin Bailey formerly of the
Frick Collection
The Frick Collection is an art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection (normally at the Henry Clay Frick House, currently at the 945 Madison Avenue#2021–present: Frick Madison, Frick Madison) features Old Master paintings and Europe ...
, said in an exhibition catalogue in 2012:
Between 1874 and 1876 Henriot modelled for five of Renoir's most ambitious full-length pictures and at least seven smaller works. She appears fully and fashionably dressed in ''La Parisienne
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
'', draped and damp in ''La Source''; seated in the shade with a suitor in the ''Lovers''; in Troubadour costume in ''The Page'', and as the protective elder sister in '' La Promenade''.
It is not known whether Renoir ever paid Henriot for modelling, however he did give her two paintings, the last painting he did of her was ''A Vase of Flowers''.
Renoir had also become close friends with her during this time, so much so that he also painted her daughter,
Jeanne Angèle Grossin (1878 – 1900) who modelled for him in ''Fillette au chapeau bleu'' (''Little girl in blue hat''). Jeanne was killed in a theater fire in 1900, when she was 21.
Stage career
The following is a selection of
plays that Henriot acted in:
*1875 ''Le Fils du Diable'' by
Paul Féval
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
*1975 ''La Vénus'' by Gordes d’Adolphe Belot
*1975 ''Le Fils de Chopart'' by Jules Dornay
*1877 ''Pépite''
*1882 ''Une aventure de Garrick'' by
Fabrice Labrousse
*1883 ''La Famille d'Armelles'' by Jean Marras
*1883 ''Sganarelle'' by Molière
*1894 ''La Belle Limonadière'' by Paul Mahalin
*1895 ''L'Argent'' by Émile Fabre directed by André Antoine
*1898 ''Mon enfant'' by Ambroise Janvier
*1902 ''Nini l'assommeur'' by Maurice Bernhardt
*1904 ''Le Bercail'' by
Henri Bernstein
*1905 ''La Rafale'' (Whirlwind) by Henri Bernstein
*1908 ''Le Petit Fouchard'' by Charles Raymond
*1908 ''Le Passe-partout'' by Georges Thurner
*1909 ''Pierre et Thérèse'' by
Marcel Prévost
Eugène Marcel Prévost (1 May 18628 April 1941) was a French author and dramatist.
Biography
Prévost was born in Paris on 1 May 1862, and educated at Jesuit schools in Bordeaux and Paris, entering the École polytechnique in 1882. He publish ...
*1912 ''La Crise'' by
Paul Bourget
*1912 ''
Le Mystère de la chambre jaune
''The Mystery of the Yellow Room'' (in French ''Le mystère de la chambre jaune'') is a mystery novel written by French author Gaston Leroux. One of the first locked-room mystery novels, it was first published serially in France in the periodical ...
'' by
Gaston Leroux
*1914 ''Monsieur Brotonneau'' by
Robert de Flers
Robert Pellevé de La Motte-Ango, marquis de Flers (25 November 1872, Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados – 30 July 1927, Vittel) was a French playwright, opera librettist, and journalist.Pierre Barillet, ''Les Seigneurs du rire: Flers – Caillavet – ...
Modelling career
See also
*
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...
*
Theatre of France
This article is an overview of the theatre of France.
Historic overview
Secular French theatre
Discussions about the origins of non-religious theatre ("théâtre profane") -- both drama and farce—in the Middle Ages remain controversial, but th ...
References
Bibliography
*
Bailey, Colin B. (1997).
''Renoir's Portraits: Impressions of an Age'' Yale University Press. National Gallery of Canada. . .
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henriot, Henriette
1857 births
1944 deaths
Actresses from Paris
French female models
Conservatoire de Paris alumni
Burials at Passy Cemetery