Mademoiselle D'Jeck (died 1837) (also D'Jick, Djeck, Djek, D'jek, D'Geck or other varied spellings) was a celebrated elephant who performed in Europe and the United States.

Theatrical career

D'Jeck first created a sensation in July 1829 in Paris, where she appeared at the Cirque Olympique of

Antonio Franconi Antonio Franconi (1737 in Venice, Italy - 1836 in Paris, France) was an Italian equestrian. He started as a juggler and wandering physician, then arranged bullfights in Lyon and Bordeaux. In 1783, he associated with the English horse rider Philip ...

in a piece entitled ''l'éléphant du Roi de Siam'' (''Elephant of the King of Siam'') by

Léopold Chandezon Léopold Chandezon (died 17 July 1846) was a French playwright and librettist of the 19th century whose plays have been presented on the most famous Parisian stages of his time: Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique, Théâtre de la Gaîté (rue Papin), Th ...

and

Ferdinand Laloue Ferdinand Laloue (1794 in Passy – 27 September 1850) was a French dramatist, librettist and theatre producer. Administrator of the Théâtre du Cirque-Olympique, he also was director of the Hippodrome and the théâtre des Délassements comique ...

.New Actor at Paris
''The Calcutta Magazine and Monthly Register'' February 1830, p. 22Berthier, Patrick
Animal de théâtre ou bête de scène?
in ''L’Animal du XIXe siècle'' (2008) (in French)La littérature française contemporaine: G-Laz
p. 560 (1852) She was then engaged, via

menagerie A menagerie is a collection of captive animals, frequently exotic, kept for display; or the place where such a collection is kept, a precursor to the modern Zoo, zoological garden. The term was first used in 17th-century France, in reference to ...

owner

Stephen Polito Stephen Polito (also known as Stephano, Stephani and Stephanus Polito) (1763/4–1814) was a menagerie owner of Italian people, Italian descent in Georgian era, Georgian England. Polito was born in Italy. He owned a menagerie which he toured ar ...

and Edward Cross, by

Frederick Henry Yates Frederick Henry Yates (4 February 1797 – 21 June 1842) was an English actor and theatre manager. Life Yates was born in London, the youngest son of Thomas Yates, a tobacco manufacturer, of Thames Street and Russell Square. Frederick was educ ...

of the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

in London, where she debuted on December 3, 1829.(12 December 1829)
The Drama in London
''The Edinburgh Literary Journal'', p. 402-03(December 1829)
Adelphi Theatre
''The Gentleman's Magazine'', p. 557 This play was titled ''The Elephant of Siam and the Fire Fiend'' and credited to

Samuel Beazley Samuel Beazley (1786–1851) was an English architect, novelist, and playwright. He became the leading theatre architect of his time and the first notable English expert in that field. After fighting in the Peninsular War, Beazley returned to Lo ...

and John Gallot (Gallott?), though it may be largely a translation of the French play. D'Jeck remained at the Adelphi through early April before traveling around England. John Gallott was an actor at the Haymarket and Coburg Theatres, and ultimately became prompter at the old Adelphi. D'Jeck then traveled to America and debuted at the

Bowery Theatre The Bowery Theatre was a playhouse on the Bowery in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. Although it was founded by rich families to compete with the upscale Park Theatre, the Bowery saw its most successful period under the populi ...

in New York in January 1831, where she had a three-week stand, a very long run for a play at the time.Ireland, Joseph
Records of the New York stage, from 1750 to 1860
p. 657 (1867) John Gallot (Gallott?) was billed throughout America as D'Jecks handler and owner. At the Arch Theatre in Philadelphia, the rival Chestnut Theatre brought an unsuccessful lawsuit over who would have the right to show the animal.(26 May 1907)
Elephant in Drama
''

The Sun (New York) ''The Sun'' was a New York newspaper published from 1833 until 1950. It was considered a serious paper, like the city's two more successful broadsheets, ''The New York Times'' and the '' New York Herald Tribune''. The Sun was the first successf ...

''Grimsted, David
Melodrama Unveiled: American Theater and Culture, 1800-1850
p. 102 (1987) She returned to England in July 1831.(2 July 1831)
Note
''New York Morning Courier and Enquirer'', p. 2, col. 1 (nothing that D'Jeck had sailed for London the prior day on the ship ''Hannibal'') The play featured all the tricks the elephant could perform. The historian John Earl notes that the elephant, rather than the author, took a curtain call. ''

The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning Po ...

'' reported, "After the dropping of the curtain, a general cry was raised of Elephant! Elephant! and accordingly out she came, unattended. … She knelt on her forelegs, bowed gracefully with her proboscis, and retired amidst the universal acclamation from all parts of the house." The 1858 novelette ''Jack of All Trades'' by

Charles Reade Charles Reade (8 June 1814 – 11 April 1884) was a British novelist and dramatist, best known for '' The Cloister and the Hearth''. Life Charles Reade was born at Ipsden, Oxfordshire, to John Reade and Anne Marie Scott-Waring, and had at leas ...

is based on D'Jeck and her keeper, violin-maker John Lott.Nydegger, Amanda L
Fiction Based on Fact: Subversions of Power and Propriety in Charles Reade's Matter-of-Fact Romances
Retrieved 23 April 2014 (Ph.D. thesis, contains references to additional sources on DJeck)

Incidents and death

In August 1830, while traveling through

Morpeth Morpeth may refer to: *Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia ** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales * Morpeth, Ontario, Canada * Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK ** Morpeth (UK ...

in northeast England, D'Jeck killed one of her keepers. This is likely in response to abuse, though whether D'Jeck had a violent nature or was responding to harsh treatment can be the subject of debate. The resulting court proceedings brought much fanfare, but D'Jeck was let off with a small fine. In 2013, the local November Club theatre group produced a play, ''Dr Mullins’ Anatomy of the Theatre Royal'', based on this story.(1 April 2013)
The Elephant in the dock
''

The Journal (newspaper) The Journal may refer to: Newspapers * ''The Journal'' (Adelaide), a newspaper published in South Australia * ''The Journal'' (Newcastle upon Tyne newspaper), a daily newspaper produced in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom * ''The ...

''Richardson, M.A
The Borderer's table book, Vol. III
(1846)(June 1888)
A Revengeful Elephant
''The Monthly Chronicle of North Country Lore and Legend'', Vol. II, No. 16, p. 244 (including copy of ''Newcastle Chronicle'' report from 1830) D'Jeck was also involved in a number of other incidents where she reportedly harmed people, in England and continental Europe. One summary from 1882 states that after returning to England from America, "she half-killed a baker. Going to France, she killed another man at Bordeaux. At another place she broke her keeper's arm in two places. In Bavaria, she set her shed on fire."(22 March 1833)
Death by an Elephant -- Mad'lle. D'Jeck
''New York Evening Post'', p. 2, col. 5(reporting on man killed in the Loire by D'Jeck in February 1833)(3 August 1835)
Items from the French Papers
''New York Spectator'', p. 1, col. 3 (reporting that D'Jeck knocked down a man in

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

who taunted her with bonbons, severely injuring him)Wood, J.G
The Illustrated Natural History
(7th ed. 1872), p. 160 (another telling of Bruges incident) Eventually, D'Jeck was shot to death with a circus cannon (after shooting her with rifles was not successful) in June 1837 in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, reportedly for breaking a priest's ribs. Her meat was sold for eating.(29 July 1866)
Execution of an Elephant
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''(15 July 1837)
Allerlei
''Allgemeine Zeitung von und für Bayern'' (in German)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

1829 drawing of D'Jeck
an

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84374347/f1.ite

via

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

Individual elephants Animals in entertainment 1837 animal deaths

Theatrical career

Incidents and death

See also

References

Further reading

External links