Jeanne Germaine Berthe Agnès Souret (21 January 1902 – 30 September 1928) was a French actress and dancer who was the winner of the inaugural
Miss France
Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it ...
competition in 1920.
Biography
Jeanne Germaine Berthe Agnès Souret was a French-Basque born in
Biarritz
Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. ...
on 21 January 1902, the daughter of former ballet dancer Marguerite Souret. Her grandfather was Henri Souret, a customs official in the town of
Espelette
Espelette (; ; oc, Espeleta) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It lies in the traditional Basque province of Labourd.
Sights
The town is attractive, with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The ...
in
Labourd
Labourd ( eu, Lapurdi; la, Lapurdum; Gascon: ''Labord'') is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques ''département''. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial c ...
,
Northern Basque Country
The French Basque Country, or Northern Basque Country ( eu, Iparralde (), french: Pays basque, es, País Vasco francés) is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitu ...
.
La plus belle femme de France
In 1919, the dark brown haired, brown eyed Souret was the winner of a beauty competition to become Miss Midi-Pyrénées. In 1920, she was acclaimed the most beautiful woman in France (''La plus belle femme de France'') in a contest now regarded as the inaugural
Miss France
Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, it ...
competition. The seventeen-year-old Souret won over 2000 entrants and attracted 115,000 votes. In
Le Figaro
''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of reco ...
, she was described as a ‘’dazzling beauty’’. In ''
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 ...
'', she was called "the fairest in France".
Career
Souret's success in the competition and the subsequent publicity resulted in her becoming for a few years one of the most celebrated women in France. Her photograph was extensively circulated in journals and magazines.The very first edition of the French film magazine ''Cinemagazine'' published in January 1921 features Souret on the front cover
Details of her life were commonplace in the gossip columns of the early 20s. She appeared in a dancing role at the famous Parisian music hall the
Folies Bergère
The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...
and at the
Opéra de Monte-Carlo
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is an opera house which is part of the Monte Carlo Casino located in the Principality of Monaco.
With the lack of cultural diversions available in Monaco in the 1870s, Prince Charles III, along with the Société des ba ...
. She was in two films directed by
Henry Houry
Henry Houry (1874–1972) was a French stage actor. He also appeared in and directed films.Waldman & Slide p.229 He worked for a while in the United States during the silent era, directing the 1918 Corinne Griffith film ''Love Watches''.
Selecte ...
: ''La Maison des pendus'' and ''Le Lys du Mont Saint-Michel''.
Her fame extended beyond France to the United Kingdom where, in 1922, she appeared in the revue ''Pins and Needles'' at the Gaiety Theatre in the
West End of London
The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...
. While in London, she was invited, along with two English actresses
Margaret Leahy
Margaret Leahy (17 August 1902 – 17 February 1967) was a British actress. After winning a beauty contest, Leahy made only one film.
Life and film career
In 1922, sisters Constance Talmadge and Norma Talmadge, Joseph Schenck and film directo ...
and Katherine Campbell, by film director
Edward José
Edward José (5 July 1865 – 18 December 1930) was a Belgian film director and actor of the silent era. He directed 42 films between 1915 and 1925. He also performed in 12 films between 1910 and 1916.Joseph M. Schenck for an audition to appear in films in Hollywood travelling to the United States at the end of 1922. Although her screen tests do not appear to have led a role, her beauty was noticed. Her book, ''The Famous Book of Beauty Secrets'', was published by the Chicago Mail Order Company in 1922.A full page image of Souret's face adorns the front page of the
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
on 30 September 1923.
Death
Agnès Souret died of
peritonitis
Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...
on 30 September 1928, aged 26, whilst touring
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. To ensure that her body could be repatriated to France, Souret's mother Marguerite raised the money by selling many of her goods including her house at Espelette. Agnès Souret was laid to rest at her home Basque Country village in a tomb that features a sculpture by Lucien Danglade.Article du journal Sud-Ouest In 2002, the mayor of Espelette André Darraïdou invited the head of
Monument historique
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...
to visit Souret’s tomb with a view to establishing it for official preservation. A ceremony and an exhibition of Souret's life were organised leading to the tomb becoming a tourist attraction.
Filmography
* 1920 ''Le Lys du Mont Saint-Michel''
* 1921 ''La Maison des pendus''