Antoine-François Varner (23 April 1789, 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 ...

– 5 September 1854, in

3rd arrondissement of Paris The 3rd arrondissement of Paris (, ) is one of the 20 (districts) of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as "" () meaning "the third". Its postal code is 75003. It is governed locally to ...

) was a 19th-century French vaudevillist.

Short biography

After he finished his studies at

Collège Sainte-Barbe The Collège Sainte-Barbe () is a former college in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. The Collège Sainte-Barbe was founded in 1460 on Montagne Sainte-Geneviève ( Latin Quarter, Paris). It was until its closure in June 1999 the "oldest ...

in Paris, Varner served for a while in the

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s. He then joined the army and took part to the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the Continenta ...

as deputy commissioner of war. Unemployed under the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

, he devoted himself to literature and composed comédies en vaudeville, either alone or in collaboration with

Scribe A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of Printing press, automatic printing. The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as ...

, Ymbert,

Bayard Bayard may refer to: People *Bayard (given name) * Bayard (surname) *Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (1473–1524) French knight Places Antarctica * Bayard Islands, off the coast of Graham Land, Antarctica Canada * Bayard, Saskatch ...

Mélesville Baron Anne-Honoré-Joseph Duveyrier, pen-name Mélesville (13 December 1787 in Paris – 7 November 1865 in Marly-le-Roi) was a French dramatist. The playwright Mélesville fils was his son. Life The son of Honoré-Nicolas-Marie Duveyrier, M ...

Dupin Dupin is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * André Marie Jean Jacques Dupin (1783–1865), French advocate * C. Auguste Dupin, a fictional detective * Charles Dupin (1784–1873), French Catholic mathematician * Jacques D ...

, Delestre-Poirson, Dartois, Le Roux,

Brazier A brazier () is a container used to burn charcoal or other solid fuel for cooking, heating or rituals. It often takes the form of a metal box or bowl with feet, but in some places it is made of terracotta. Its elevation helps circulate air, feed ...

, Duvert, Lauzanne,

Deslandes Deslandes is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: *André-François Deslandes (1689–1757), French philosopher *Arnaud Deslandes (born 1982), French politician * Carolina Deslandes (born 1991), Portuguese singer-songwriter * ...

and Prémaray. After 1830, Varner obtained a position as chief clerk at the Prefecture of the Seine, a position that he lost after the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (), also known as the February Revolution (), was a period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation of the French Second Republic. It sparked t ...

Works

*1817: ''Le Solliciteur, ou l'Art d'obtenir des places'', one-act comedy mingled with vaudevilles (

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...

, Dupin, Varner, Ymbert, Delestre-Poirson),

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 ...

*1817: ''Les Comices d'Athènes, ou les Femmes orateurs'', one-act comédie en vaudeville, translated from Greek

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

(Eugène Scribe, Varner),

Théâtre du Vaudeville The Théâtre du Vaudeville () was a theatre company in Paris. It opened on 12 January 1792 on rue de Chartres. Its directors, Pierre-Antoine-Augustin de Piis, Piis and Yves Barré, Barré, mainly put on "petites pièces mêlées de couplets s ...

*1818: ''L'Obligeant, ou la Fureur d'être utile'', one-act comedy mingled with vaudevilles (Ymbert, Varner), Théâtre des Variétés *1819: ''Les Deux maris'', one-act comedy mingled with vaudevilles (Eugène Scribe, Varner), Théâtre des Variétés *1820: ''Trottin, ou le Retour du sérail'', one-act folie-vaudeville (Ymbert, Varner), Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin *1820: ''Le Dîner de garçons'', one-act comedy mingled with

couplet In poetry, a couplet ( ) or distich ( ) is a pair of successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there ...

s (Ymbert, Varner), Théâtre des Variétés *1820: ''Le Propriétaire sans propriété'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Ymbert, Varner), Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin *1822: ''La Marchande de coco, ou les Projets de réforme'', one-act folie grivoise mingled with couplets (Ymbert, Varner), Théâtre des Variétés *1823: ''Le Faubourien, ou le Philibert de la rue Mouffetard'', one-act comédie grivoise mingled with couplets (Ymbert, Varner), Théâtre des Variétés *1823: ''Le Précepteur dans l'embarras'', one-act comédie-vaudeville (Ymbert, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase, 3 July *1823: ''La Pièce nouvelle, ou les Assureurs dramatiques'', comedy in 1 act and in vers (Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase *1823: ''L'Intérieur d'un bureau, ou la Chanson'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Imbert, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase dramatique *1823: ''Monsieur Barbe bleue, ou le Cabinet mystérieux'', one-act folie mingled with couplets (Dupin, Varner), Théâtre des Variétés *1824: ''La Léocadie de Pantin'', parody of ''la Léocadie'' by Feydeau (Dartois, Dupin, Varner), Théâtre des Variétés *1824: ''La Mansarde des artistes'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Dupin, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique *1824: ''Le Château de la poularde'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Dupin, Varner), Théâtre de Madame *1825: ''Le Plus beau jour de la vie'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre de Madame *1825: ''La Ville neutre, ou le Bourgmestre de Neustadt'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Ymbert, Varner), Théâtre de Madame *1825: ''Le Plus beau jour de la vie'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre de Madame *1826: ''La Charge à payer, ou la Mère intrigante'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Varner, Scribe), Théâtre de Madame *1826: ''Le Mariage de raison'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre de Madame *1826: ''Les Manteaux'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner, Dupin), Théâtre de Madame *1827: ''Une soirée à la mode'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Varner,

Jean-François Bayard Jean-François Alfred Bayard (; 17 March 1796, Charolles, Saône-et-Loire – 20 February 1853, Paris) was a French playwright. He was the nephew of fellow playwright Eugène Scribe. Life As a law student and a lawyer's clerk, Bayard wrote with ...

, Le Roux), Théâtre de Madame *1827: ''Les Petits appartements'', one-act

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

(Dupin, Varner, music by Berton),

Opéra Comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

*1828: ''Les Moralistes'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre de Madame *1828: ''Le Bourgeois de Paris, ou la Partie de plaisir'', play in 3 acts and 5 tableaux (Dartois, Warner, Dupin),

Théâtre des Nouveautés The Théâtre des Nouveautés ("Theatre of the New") is a Parisian theatre built in 1921 and located at 24 boulevard Poissonnière (Paris, 9th arr.). The name was also used by several earlier Parisian theatre companies and their buildings, begin ...

*1829: ''Marino Faliero à Paris'', folie à propos-vaudeville in 1 act (Varner, [Bayard),

*1829: ''Madame de Sainte-Agnès'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre de Madame *1829: ''Théobald, ou le Retour de Russie'', one-act comédie-vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre de Madame *1829: ''La Veste et la livrée'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (

, Varner), Théâtre des Variétés *1829: ''La Cour d'assises'', tableau-vaudeville in 1 act (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre de Madame *1830: ''La Convalescente'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Mélesville, Varner), Théâtre du Vaudeville *1831: ''Les Deux novices'', comédie en vaudeville in 3 periods (Varner, Bayard), Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1831: ''L'Art de payer ses dettes'', one-act comédie en vaudeville, (Mélesville, Varner), Théâtre du Vaudeville *1831: ''Le Salon de 1831'', à-propos in 1 act mingled with couplets (Brazier, Varner, Bayard), Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1832: ''La Grande aventure'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique *1832: ''Toujours, ou l'Avenir d'un fils'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique *1832: ''Paris malade'',

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

ingled with couplets, (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1833: ''La Chipie'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1834: ''Un ménage d'ouvrier'', one-act comédie en vaudeville en 1 acte (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1834: ''Le Mari d'une muse'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique *1835: ''La Pensionnaire mariée'', one-act comédie en vaudeville, imitated from a novel by Mme de Flahaut (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique *1836: ''L'Oiseau bleu'', three-act play mingled with song (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1837: ''Ma maison du Pec'', one-act vaudeville (Mélesville, Varner), Paris, Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1837: ''Le Bout de l'an, ou les Deux cérémonies'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Varner, Scribe), Théâtre du Palais royal *1837: ''César, ou le Chien du château'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique *1838: ''Le Pioupiou, ou la Gloire et l'amour'', two-act comedy mingled with couplets, Théâtre du Palais-Royal. The

neologism In linguistics, a neologism (; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered ...

"" to refer to an inexperienced young conscript was created in this play by Varner. *1838: ''C'est Monsieur qui paie'', one-act vaudeville (Bayard, Varner) *1838: ''Les Deux maris, ou M. Rigaud'', one-act comedy mingled with vaudevilles (Scribe, Varner) *1838: ''Françoise et Francesca'', two-act comedy mingled with couplets, Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1839: ''Chantre et choriste'', one-act vaudeville, Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1839: ''Le Cousin du ministre'', one-act comedy mingled with couplets, Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1841: ''Un monstre de femme'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Varner, Duvert, Lauzanne), Théâtre du Vaudeville *1841: ''Les Pénitents blancs'', two-act comedy mingled with song, Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1841: ''La Sœur de Jocrisse'', one-act comedy mingled with song (Varner, Duvert), Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1842: ''La Chasse aux vautours'', one-act comedy mingled with couplets, Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1843: ''L'Autre part du diable, ou le Talisman du mari'', one-act comedy mingled with, Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1843: ''Recette contre l'embonpoint'', two-act play mingled with couplets, Théâtre de la Gaîté *1843: ''Le Noctambule'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Varner, Deslandes), Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1843: ''Les Canuts'', two-act comedy mingled with song (Varner, Deslandes), Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1845: ''Jeanne et Jeanneton'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique *1845: ''La Belle et la Bête'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique *1846: ''Le Petit-fils'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase-Dramatique *1847: ''Le Chevalier de Saint-Remy'', drama in 5 acts and 6 tableaux (Varner, Prémaray, music by Réancourt), Théâtre de la Gaîté *1847: ''Père et portier'', two-act vaudeville (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Palais-Royal *1848: ''L'Académicien de Pontoise'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Varner, Varin), Théâtre Montansier *1848: ''Ô amitié !… ou les Trois époques'', three-act comédie en vaudeville (Scribe, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase dramatique *1849: ''La Grosse Caisse, ou les Élections dans un trou'', pochade électorale in 2 acts mingled with couplets (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre Montansier *1849: ''Un cheveu pour deux têtes'', one-act comedy mingled with couplets (Varner, Duvert, Lauzanne), Théâtre de la Montansier *1849: ''Babet, ou le Diplomate en famille'', one-act vaudeville, Théâtre du Gymnase *1849: ''La Conspiration de Mallet, ou Une nuit de l'Empire'', five-act historical drama mingled with songs (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Vaudeville *1850: ''Le Sous-préfet s'amuse'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre de la Montansier *1850: ''La Perle des servantes'', one-act comedy mingled with couplets, Théâtre de la Montansier *1851: ''Le Vol à la fleur d'orange'', two-act comédie en vaudeville (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre de la Montansier *1852: ''Madame Schlick'', one-act comédie en vaudeville, Théâtre du Gymnase *1852: ''La Fille d'Hoffmann'', one-act drama with couplets (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase *1852: ''Les Échelons du mari'', three-act comédie en vaudeville (Bayard, Varner), Théâtre du Gymnase

Honours

Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was o ...

(30 April 1843 decree). Base Léonore

/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varner, Antoine-Francois Writers from Paris 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights Knights of the Legion of Honour 1789 births 1854 deaths