Eugénie Fougère (12 April 1870 – 6 February 1946) was a French

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and music hall dancer and singer. She was often called a

soubrette A soubrette is a female minor stock character in opera and theatre, often a pert lady's maid. By extension, the term can refer generally to any saucy or flirtatious young woman. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means " ...

− a flirtatious or frivolous woman − known for her eye-catching outfits, frisky movements, suggestive demeanor, and for her rendition of the popular "

cakewalk The cakewalk was a dance developed from the "prize walks" (dance contests with a cake awarded as the prize) held in the mid-19th century, generally at get-togethers on black slave plantations before and after emancipation in the Southern Unit ...

dance," which in her own style included "negro" rhythms and paces.Gordon, ''Dances With Darwin''
p. 236
/ref> She should not be confounded with the frequenter of the French

demi-monde is a French 19th-century term referring to women on the fringes of respectable society, and specifically to courtesans supported by wealthy lovers. The term is French for "half-world", and derives from an 1855 play called , by Alexandre Dumas ...

also named

Eugénie Fougère Eugénie Fougère (12 April 1870 – 6 February 1946) was a French vaudeville and music hall dancer and singer. She was often called a soubrette − a flirtatious or frivolous woman − known for her eye-catching outfits, frisky movements, sugge ...

although the two knew each other, mixed in the same circles and even lived in the same street 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 ...

for a while.Un assassinat à Aix-les-Bains
''

Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...

'', September 21, 1903Bossy,
Les Grandes Affaires Criminelles de Savoie
', pp. 81-104
by Maurice Hamel, ''Lectures pour tous'', August 1934 Fougère, despite her image as a frivolous dance-hall star, was also an innovator, who, according to one theatre

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...

was "a precursor who introduced the repertoire of foreign songs and dances from every country into the café-concert well before this repertoire became fashionable".La 'Gommeuse excentrique' Eugenie Fougere
''

Comœdia ''Comœdia'' was a French literary and artistic paper founded by Henri Desgrange on 1 October 1907 (Desgrange had already founded '). It published a number of texts by important literary figures, including Antonin Artaud, Antonin Artaud's first p ...

'', 12 September 1925

Early life and career

Fougère's past is shrouded in mystery, not in the least because she herself contributed to the ambiguities by creating dual identities in real life and on stage. According to some sources she was either from SpanishChez elles: Eugénie Fougère
''

Gil Blas ''Gil Blas'' ( ) is a picaresque novel by Alain-René Lesage published between 1715 and 1735. It was highly popular, and was translated several times into English, most notably by Tobias Smollett in 1748 as ''The Adventures of Gil Blas of S ...

'', 30 July 1898 or Spanish-Jewish descent,Gordon, ''Dances With Darwin''
p. 199
/ref> but it is more likely that her true identity was confused with her first artistic success as a Spanish singer and dancer,Gordon, Rae Beth (2004).
Fashion and the White Savage in the Parisian Music Hall
', Fashion Theory, 8:3, pp. 267-299 known as "fausses Espagnoles" (fake Spaniards), with the stage name ''Fougeros''. Caradec, ''Le café-concert''
p. 180
/ref> Riegler, Anne-Sophie (2018).
Les enjeux d’une esthétique du flamenco : étude analytique et critique du duende
', Thèse de doctorat en philosophie, Université Paris sciences et lettres After the murder of her namesake in 1903, Fougère complained about the confusion over the name, about which the two ladies had argued in the past.Le Crime Aix-les-Bains; Deux femmes étranglées
''

Le Petit Parisien ''Le Petit Parisien'' () was a prominent France, French newspaper during the Third French Republic, Third Republic. It was published between 1876 and 1944, and its circulation was over two million after the First World War. Publishing Despite its ...

'', 22 September 1903Le Crime d'Aix-les-Bains (A Paris : Il y a Fougère et Fougère)
''Le XIXe siècle'', 23 September 1903 Fougère claimed that she was the rightful bearer of the name, but an article in ''Le Petit Parisien'' that reported on the matter, Fougère was most likely born as Faugère, in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

.Le Crime d'Aix-les-Bains; ou en est l'enquête
''

'', 24 September 1903 According to a birth certificate Fougère was born out of wedlock as Eugénie Philippine Faugère in Strasbourg, the natural daughter of Jean Faugère, a soldier in the 16th artillery regiment from

Puylaurens Puylaurens (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. The poet Suzon de Terson was born here in 1657. Population See also *Communes of the Tarn department The following is a list of the 314 communes of the Tarn depa ...

( Tarn), and an Alsatian woman, Catherine Kistler, a seamstress born in

Herrlisheim Herrlisheim is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The town dates from the 8th century. Herrlisheim was the scene of very heavy fighting during ''Operation Nordwind'', an offensive launched by the German Ar ...

(

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin () is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lower altitude among the two French Rhine departments: it is downstream of the Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) de ...

). She had an older sister, Justine Joséphine, born in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

in 1861,Marriage certificate (Acte de mariage) Faugère-Kistler
Nr. 106, 29 April 1872, Archives municipales d'Avignon (1E229, Vue 149) (with mention of legitimation of their two daughters born out of wedlock) also known as Juliette, who also was a vaudeville artist. Eugénie became a native of

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

in her early youth. After the 1870-1871

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, her father, who had spent twenty-one years in the army, came to Avignon in Southeastern France with the Strasbourg pontonniers regiment, accompanied by his

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

and daughters. There, he married the sister's mother in 1872, and having left the army, became a tailor. Originally from Alsace-Lorraine, Eugénie became a naturalised French citizen after the Franco-Prussian War (when Alsace and northern Lorraine were annexed to the new

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

in 1871), shortly after her parents' marriage.Bulletin des lois de la République française
Partie supplémentaire Nr. 344, p. 7975 Her first appearance on stage was at the age of 12 in Avignon, and subsequently in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

at 14. At the age of 15 she started her career at the ''

Café des Ambassadeurs The Café des Ambassadeurs, also known as Les Ambassadeurs or Les Ambass', was a café-concert located in the Champs-Élysées district, at 1 Avenue Gabriel, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, which opened around 1830 and closed in 1929. ''Les A ...

'' in

, where she would live the rest of her life. Fougère became a popular excentric singer (''gommeuse''Gordon, ''Why the French Love Jerry Lewis''
pp. 74-76
/ref>) and dancer that performed in famous theatres, such as the ''

Folies Bergère 150px, Stanisław Julian Ignacy Ostroróg">Walery, 1927 The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the arc ...

'', '' Alcazar d'Été'', ''La Scala'' ( fr) and ''

L'Olympia The Olympia (; commonly known as L'Olympia or in the English-speaking world as Olympia Hall) is a concert venue in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France, located at 28 Boulevard des Capucines, equally distancing Madeleine church and Opéra ...

''. The ''gommeuse'' was the frenzy of Paris in the last decade of the 19th century, a sensual object and "symbol of madness, of Parisian life":

Cake walk

The "frenzied divette" was, in the art of music hall, a precursor, introducing songs and dances of all countries, long before that became fashionable in the café-concert circuit, while wearing the most unlikely toilets, bedecked with paradoxical colours. Just like

Polaire Émilie Marie Bouchaud''Polaire par elle-meme'', Éditions Eugène Figuière (1933), Paris. chapter 10: She calls herself Émilie Marie Bouchaud In 1930 her identity card was issued in the name "Emilie Polaire/ref> (14 May 1874 – 14 October 1939 ...

and

Mistinguett Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois (5 April 1873 – 5 January 1956), known professionally as Mistinguett (), was a French actress and singer. She was at one time the highest-paid female entertainer in the world. Early life The daughter of Antoine Bo ...

, she became known for her "racially ambiguous"

dancing Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...

techniques that she applied to

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...

and the popular "

cake walk The cakewalk was a dance developed from the "prize walks" (dance contests with a cake awarded as the prize) held in the mid-19th century, generally at get-togethers on black slave plantations before and after emancipation in the Southern Unit ...

" dance of the time, which became a rage at the end of 1902. Pénet, ''Mistinguett: la reine du music-hall''
p. 137
/ref>Moore Whiting, ''Satie the Bohemian''
p. 299
/ref> She is said to have introduced the dance in Paris in 1900 in the ''

Théâtre Marigny The Théâtre Marigny () is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 8th arrondissement. It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnie ...

'' after she returned from a tour in the United States,See
Le Journal, 20 January 1903
an
Le Figaro, 13 February 1903
/ref> Pénet, ''Mistinguett: la reine du music-hall''
p. 138
/ref> where she had been filmed in 189
in the rag-time cake-walk "Hello, Ma Baby," with which she made a sensation at the New York Theatre
filmed by Frederick S. Armitage. The ambiguous "cake walk" became very popular quickly. For a few months in 1903, Paris was in the grip of a veritable 'cake-walk craze' (''folie du cake-walk'') or ''cake-walkomanie'', after a popular song. Pénet, ''Mistinguett: la reine du music-hall''
p. 141
/ref> Fougère appeared on th
October 1903 cover of ''Paris qui Chante''
dancing to the song ''Oh ! ce cake-walk'', which she performed barefoot at ''La Scala'', much to the delight of the audience, seduced by this originality. Pénet, ''Mistinguett: la reine du music-hall''
p. 156
/ref> The lyrics interconnected African and American dance, monkeys and epilepsyGordon, ''Dances With Darwin''
p. 177
/ref> – reflecting the racist and colonial attitudes that prevailed at the time.Gordon, ''Dances With Darwin''
p. xiip. 81
an
pp. 147–48
/ref> A popular theorist of "negro dance," Andre Levinson, observed that it was impossible for Europeans to recreate the moves seen by

African dance African dance (also Afro dance, Afrodance and Afro-dance) refers to the various dance styles of sub-Saharan Africa. These dances are closely connected with the traditional rhythms and music traditions of the region. Music and dancing is an int ...

, and that is why the public was amazed by it. While describing a revue at ''

La Cigale La Cigale (; English: ''The Cicada'') is a theatre located at 120, boulevard de Rochechouart near Place Pigalle, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The theatre is part of a complex connected to the Boule Noire. The hall can accommodate 1,3 ...

'' near

Place Pigalle The Place Pigalle is a public square located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, between the Boulevard de Clichy and the Boulevard de Rochechouart, near the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, Paris, Sacré-Cœur, at the foot of the Montmartre hill. The ...

in Paris in 1920, where she appeared in the costume of an American negro, Rae Beth Gordon, a professor in French literature, notes that "at least in this original fantasy, she told the journalist, 'I felt my old self again.' The incorporation of blackness by this white singer suggests that the motivations for adopting a black persona and the effects of such a masquerade went beyond the purposes of simple exploitation. Fougère felt more at home in a black body — or, at least, in a body ruled by black

rhythms Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular rec ...

and movements — than she did in a white body deprived of the opportunity to express itself with no holding back."Gordon, ''Dances With Darwin''
p. 239
/ref>

In the United States

The 'audacious' Fougère made her debut in the United States on 7 September 1891 at

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

's ''

Koster and Bial's Music Hall Koster and Bial's Music Hall was an important vaudeville theatre in New York City, located at Broadway and Thirty-Fourth Street, where Macy's flagship store now stands. It had a seating capacity of 3,748, twice the size of many theaters. Ticket ...

'' in New York – the gayest night spot in town at the time – where her "scandalously risqué" performance quickly became "the craze of the hour".Gilbert, ''Lost Chords''
p. 206
/ref>Tomars, ''The First Oscar Hammerstein and New York's Golden Age of Theater and Music''
p.29
/ref>Theatre Dancing; Now it is the Lofty Jump That New York Raves Over
''The Salt Lake Herald'', 1 November 1891Koster & Bial's New Season
''The New York Times'', 11 September 1894 According to a review, "New York never saw anything to equal the performance of Fougere. Imagine an Apache in a setting of petite Parisian femininity." Her influence over the audience was due "to the sparkle, wildness and vim of her performance". Not everyone was impressed; theatre critic

Leander Richardson Leander Pease Richardson (February 28, 1856 – February 2, 1918) was an American journalist, playwright, theatrical writer and author.Naughty Fougere Is Coming Back; Singer of Doubtful Ditties Engaged as a Roof Garden Attraction
''

The Morning Telegraph ''The Morning Telegraph'' (1839 – April 10, 1972) (sometimes referred to as the ''New York Morning Telegraph'') was a New York City broadsheet newspaper owned by Moe Annenberg's Cecelia Corporation. It was first published as the ''Sunday Me ...

'', 24 August 1899 According to New York's ''Metropolitan Magazine'' in 1895:Sensational Dancers
''Metropolitan Magazine'', March 1895 Fougere became one of "the high-priced music hall singers", according to ''Metropolitan Magazine'', who was never out of an engagement, spending her time performing between New York and Paris:American and Foreign Music Hall Stars
''Metropolitan Magazine'', June 1895 Fougère toured the States for many years during the

Gay Nineties The Gay Nineties is an American nostalgic term and a periodization of the history of the United States referring to the decade of the 1890s. It is known in the United Kingdom as the Naughty Nineties, and refers there to the decade of supposedl ...

and the early 1900s, but her performance was often too 'strong' for the audience. Due to complaints about the audacious performances of Fougère and other European music-hall artists, ''Koster and Bial's'' had to set new restrictive rules about the artist's dresses and song texts for the 1894 theatre season.Tomars, ''The First Oscar Hammerstein and New York's Golden Age of Theater and Music''
pp.66-67
/ref>Song And Dress Inspection
''

New York Evening World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 to 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers as a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publisher Jos ...

'', 10 September 1894 She was a hit at the Los Angeles Orpheum,See the 1900 issues of the San Francisco's weekl
Town talk
/ref> but was hissed off the stage in Kansas City. "The people think I'm — ah — what you say? Naught-ee?," she commented. "Ah. monsieur, they don't understand. They will learn. Ah, these Americans, they are just a little slow, but they all like 'the great Fougere' when they know her. But, o-o-ooh ! I'm all breathless, c'est terrible!" In 1907, impresario

Willie Hammerstein William Hammerstein (September 26, 1875 – June 10, 1914) was an American theater manager. He ran the Victoria Theatre on what became Times Square, Manhattan, presenting very popular vaudeville shows with a wide variety of acts. He was known fo ...

paid her $700 a week () while playing in his '' Hammerstein's Roof Garden'' vaudeville theatre in New York City.Fougere's Salary $700
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', July 20, 1907 Her performances often shocked the puritan North Americans and revealed their hypocrisy. In October 1907, while she was performing at the ''Gaiety Theater'' in Washington DC, she was brought to the police station where she had to pay a "cash security of $50 to insure her good behavior." Despite the fact that the police sergeant enjoyed her show on the front row, in particular her "specialty", he nevertheless said he was shocked and dragged her off to the police station.Fougere "pinched"
''

'', 5 October 1907 Her controversial performances in the U.S. did not stop her from parodying the

Gibson Girl The Gibson Girl was the personification of the feminine ideal of physical attractiveness as portrayed by the pen-and-ink illustrations of artist Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...

– the quintessential perfect archetype of the upper middle class American girl – in Parisian theatres.Hâtez-vous, si vous voulez voir Eugénie Fougère dans sa curieuse et amusante imitation de la Gibson Girl
announcement in ''

'', 29 December 1906

"Extravagant"

Often described as "extravagant", Fougère was a very dynamic, elusive and noisy whirlwind of talk and gestures. In addition to the U.S., she performed all over the world. She was particularly fond of Italy, where she made her debut in 1895 at the

café-chantant (; French: lit. 'singing café'), , or is a type of musical establishment associated with the Belle Époque in France. The music was generally lighthearted and sometimes risqué or even bawdy but, as opposed to the cabaret tradition, not par ...

''Salone Margherita'' ( it) in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. Paliotti, ''Salone Margherita'', pp. 84–85 When she was performing there in 1902, she contacted

Camorra The Camorra (; ) is an Italian Mafia-typeMafia and Mafia-type orga ...

boss

Enrico Alfano Enrico Alfano (; 1869 or 1870 – 10 January 1940), also known as "Erricone", was considered to be one of the chiefs of the Camorra, a Mafia-type organisation in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy, at the turn of the 20th ce ...

to ask for help in returning some of her missing jewelry. Within a few days, Alfano tracked down the thieves and restored the jewelry. The case made headlines and Alfano was arrested for complicity in the crime, but was acquitted. The Italian comical actor

Nicola Maldacea Nicola Maldacea (29 October 1870 – 5 March 1945) was an Italian actor, comedian and singer, well-known for his expertise in the theatrical genre of 'macchietta', where he was one of the pioneers. In the golden years of the café-chantant in Ita ...

, with whom she sang duets,Maldacea, Nicola
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 68 (2007) remembered her as: She toured frequently in the British music halls in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, making her first appearance in 1893 at the ''

Empire Theatre of Varieties The Empire, Leicester Square is a cinema currently operated by Cineworld on the north side of Leicester Square, London, England. The Empire was originally built in 1884 as a variety theatre and was rebuilt for films in the 1920s. It is one of s ...

'' on

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised town square, square in the West End of London, England, and is the centre of London's entertainment district. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leice ...

London's West End The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, England, in the London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster. It is west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which ma ...

.Music Hall Gossip
''The Era'', 5 August 1893, p. 15Musical Sundries
''Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News'', 12 August 1893, p. 23 In 1896, she made her debut in Germany and Austria at the ''Apollo-Theater'' ( de) in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and the '' Etablissement Ronacher'' in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

.
Berliner Börsen-Zeitung
', 29 January 1896Etablissement Ronacher
''

Die Presse (, ) is a German-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vienna, Austria. It is considered a newspaper of record for Austria. History and profile was first printed on 3 July 1848 as a liberal (libertarian)-bourgeois newspaper within the ...

'', 10 May 1896 Other countries include Spain and Cuba. In 1887, at the age of 17, she first performed at the ''Edén Concert'' ( es) in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

along with her older sister Juliette. Years later she made her debut in Madrid. She first toured Mexico in 1911, performing at the ''Teatro Mexicano'' in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

Vaudeville Show Coming Here Soon
''The Mexican Herald'', 25 September 1911President Sees Vaudeville Turn
''The Mexican Herald'', 9 October 1911 and

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

in 1913. While performing in Mexico City in 1914, she almost perished when her carriage's horses bolted and the carriage collided with a lamppost.La artista Eugenia Fougere a pique de morir
''El Independiente'', 15 January 1914 Fougère had many real or supposed romances that were widely reported in the media at the time, including with the American professional boxer

James J. Jeffries James Jackson Jeffries (April 15, 1875 – March 3, 1953) was an American professional boxer and List of world heavyweight boxing champions, world heavyweight champion. He was known for his enormous strength and stamina. Jeffries fought out of ...

(who denied ever having met herJeffries Warmly Welcomed Back
''

The New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the ''New York Herald Tribune''. Hist ...

'', 23 September 1899) and the Italian comic actor Vincenzo Scarpetta ( it), scion of a famous Neapolitan theatre family, whose father

Eduardo Scarpetta Eduardo Scarpetta (13 March 1853 – 12 November 1925) was an Italian actor and playwright from Naples. His best-known play is ''Misery and Nobility.'' Biography Although not from a theatrical family, he was on the stage by the age of four ...

only barely prevented him from going to Paris with Fougère.Scarpetta, Vincenzo
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 91 (2018) In May 1906, Fougère and her husband, the actor Albert Girault (also spelled Girod), were convicted of

shoplifting Shoplifting (also known as shop theft, shop fraud, retail theft, or retail fraud) is the theft of goods from a retail establishment during business hours. The terms ''shoplifting'' and ''shoplifter'' are not usually defined in law, and genera ...

a night dress,

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

, and other items one particular night after leaving a London-based

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

company, Lewis & Alleby's.The Fall of Fougere; Parisian Stage Favorite In A Jail In London
''The Syracuse Herald'', June 3, 1906 She was performing at the

Oxford Music Hall Oxford Music Hall was a music hall located in Westminster, London, at the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. It was established on the site of a former public house, the Boar and Castle, by Charles Morton, in 1861. In 1917 the m ...

for a substantial salary (US$400 a week ) and claimed she had forgotten to pay. The charges were dismissed on appeal.Fougere Goes Free; Conviction on the Charge of Shoplifting in London is Quashed
''The New York Times'', July 22, 1906 The King v. Albert Girod and Eugenie Fougere Girod. C.C.R. 2st July
''The Solicitors' Journal'', Volume 50, Issue 39, p. 651, 28 July 1906 She had a reputation for spending money fast. In 1909, she made an appearance in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

that shocked and scandalized the audience because of the routines in her performance and the "excessive display of lingerie". A Montreal Gazette article the next day mentioned that, "Mademoiselle Eugenie Fougère, the French music hall actress, who was announced to appear at Bennett's as headliner during this week, made her first and last appearance at that theatre yesterday afternoon. Although such acts as she presented might be quite acceptable in the

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

s of London and Paris, they certainly should have no place in the bill of any Montreal theatre." The manager of the theatre told Eugénie that she would not be allowed to appear again.

Later life

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she performed with a music hall and café-concert troupe in Spain called ''Los Aliados'' (The Allies) and in Havana (Cuba), where she sang for the French

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

. According to Gordon she shortly returned to stage in 1920 "after a long hiatus," in the ''Ambassadeurs'' alongside the French dancer and actress

. That year, she is said to have introduced the

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...

in France with the Cuban dancer Enrique Ruíz Madrid at a World Championship in Modern Dancing, organised by the literary and artistic paper ''

'', after a long stay in Cuba. In 1926, they lived together at 32 Avenue des Ternes in the

17th arrondissement of Paris The 17th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le dix-septième'' (; "the seventeenth"). The arrondissement, known as Batignol ...

Pierre Juvenet et Eugenie Fougere - Les perles de la couronne 1937

In an interview with Maurice Hamel ( fr) for ''Comœdia'' in 1925 she complained she had no engagements anymore and about her lost fortune; jewelry worth FF 275,000 had been stolen from her. In 1928 she had a modest comeback in ''La Scala'' as "the unforgettable creator of the ''gommeuse'' genre" (although the genre had long since fallen into disuse). Résurrection
''La Rumeur'', 21 June 1928 In a retrospective in 1934, Hamel recalled her small apartment in Paris in which the walls were covered with photographs, as if she had created her own museum, in which she reminisced about her rich career. She said she had had many difficulties to correct the false notice of her death in 1903 when she was confused with her

namesake A namesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another (e.g. John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake of John F. Kennedy). In common parlance, it may ...

. In 1936, she lived alone at 64 rue de Lévis in the 17th arrondissement. In 1937 she played a ''vieille coquette'' in the film ''

The Pearls of the Crown ''The Pearls of the Crown'' () is a 1937 French comedy film of historically based fiction by Sacha Guitry who plays four roles in it (many of the other performers play multiple roles, as well). Guitry's Jean Martin investigates the history of s ...

'' (French: ''Les Perles de la couronne'') directed by

Sacha Guitry Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre (aesthetic), boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac ...

.Les perles de la couronne
Base de Données de films français avec images (Retrieved 4 May 2023) On 16 September 1939, two weeks after France's declaration of war on Germany at the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, her name appeared on a list of artists who volunteered to perform on stage for the benefit of other needy artists.Le théâtre et la guerre
''Le Journal'', 16 septembre 1939 She was not heard from again after that date. While residing at 5 rue du Mont-Dore in the 17th arrondissement, she died at the age of 75 under the name Eugénie Fougère on 6 February 1946 at the Salpêtrière hospital and was buried a week later in the Parisian cemetery of Thiais (14th division).

Legacy

Fougère was also an early example of a

pin-up model A pin-up model is a model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures are intended for informal and aesth ...

; she appeared on many postcards and on a

cigarette card Cigarette cards are trading cards issued by tobacco industry, tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and nicotine marketing, advertise cigarette brands. Between 1875 and the 1940s, cigarette companies often included collectible car ...

, advertising for the cigarette brand Ogden's Guinea Gold Cigarettes. In 1900, the American painter Louis Kronberg made a portrait of Fougère
Dancer With Tambourine
. The Italian actress and singer

Anna Fougez Maria Annina Laganà Pappacena, best known as Anna Fougez (9 July 1894 – 11 September 1966), was an Italian actress and singer. Born in Taranto, Italy, at 6 years old Pappacena became orphan of both her parents, and was adopted by her aunt. S ...

adopted her stage name as a tribute to Fougère."Pappacena, Maria Annina Laganà, in arte Anna Fougez"
by Doriana Legge in ''

Enciclopedia Italiana Institute Giovanni Treccani for the publication of the Italian Encyclopedia (), also known as Treccani Institute or simply Treccani, is a cultural institution of national interest, active in the publishing field, founded by Giovanni Treccani ...

: Dizionario biografico'', Treccani, 2014. Gordon notes that the popularity of performers like Fougère "was comparable to that of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

a little more than half a century later."Gordon, ''Dances With Darwin''
p. 12
/ref> She was the inspiration for several noted dancers, actresses, and singers of the time to incorporate the "negro" and African style of dancing she used in their routines and shows. She was also one of the pioneer burlesque music hall and theatre performers. According to Hamel she was "a precursor who introduced the repertoire of foreign songs and dances from every country into the café-concert well before this repertoire became fashionable".Gordon, ''Dances With Darwin''
p. 240
/ref> After the erroneous news of her being murdered in 1903, which also made the front pages of newspapers in the U.S., a somewhat premature obituary said that "many of her songs were insults to people of refinement, but they were clever and sparkling, and her ability to express charmingly shades of more than doubtful meaning was unquestioned."Fougere Murdered; Music Hall Singer or One of Same Name Killed by Robber
''

The New York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' (from 1914: ''New York Tribune'') was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s ...

'', 21 September 1903 Fougère was included in a mural in the rooftop bar of the Knickerbocker Hotel at

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, when it re-opened in 2015, to commemorate the time the hotel was the hottest spot in town in the early 1900s.If This Wall Could Talk
''New York Daily News'', April 26, 2015,Our History
The Knickerbocker Hotel website (accessed 22 September 2017) Ironically, in 1907 she had been kicked out of the hotel because she shared a room with her male manager - although they were married, as became clear later. She was mentioned by name in the classic

Frank Wedekind Benjamin Franklin Wedekind (July 24, 1864 – March 9, 1918) was a German playwright. His work, which often criticizes bourgeois attitudes (particularly towards sex), is considered to anticipate expressionism and was influential in the developme ...

tragedy ''

Erdgeist Erdgeist is the spirit of the Earth that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work ...

'' (Earth Spirit). During act I, the character Lulu stated in response to a question about her dancing, "I learned in Paris. I took lessons from Eugenie Fougère. She let me copy her costumes too."; see also
Erdgeist
at Projekt Gutenberg. From a letter written by the playwright, one might infer that he had met Fougère personally. In a letter in 1899, he wrote: "On the first evening of my stay here, I was in Folies Bergêre, saw Eugenie Fougère, a little wild, but didn't take the opportunity to renew our acquaintance."Paris, 7. Januar 1899 (Samstag), Brief
Editions- und Forschungsstelle Frank Wedekind He also referred to her in an interview with the Spanish vaudeville dancer La Tortajada for the German satirical weekly magazine ''

Simplicissimus :''Simplicissimus is also a name for the 1668 novel ''Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus, Simplicius Simplicissimus'' and its protagonist.'' ''Simplicissimus'' () was a German language, German weekly satire, satirical magazine, founded by Albert ...

'' saying that "she was the best dancer I had seen so far in her genre."Interviews von Frank Wedekind IV: La Tortajada
''Simplicissimus'', 14 November 1896, p. 6

Notes

References

Sources

* Bossy, Anne-Marie (2007).
Les Grandes Affaires Criminelles de Savoie
', Romagnat: Editions de Borée, * Caradec, François & Alain Weill (1980).
Le café-concert
', Paris: Hachette/Massin * Gilbert, Douglas (1942).
Lost Chords, The Diverting Story of American Popular Songs
', Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran and Co., Inc. * Gordon, Rae Beth (2001).
Why the French Love Jerry Lewis: From Cabaret to Early Cinema
', Stanford (CA): Stanford University Press, * Gordon, Rae Beth (2009).
Dances With Darwin, 1875-1910: Vernacular Modernity in France
', Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, * Moore Whiting, Steven (1999).
Satie the Bohemian: From Cabaret to Concert Hall
', Oxford: Oxford University Press, * Paliotti, Vittorio (2006).
Storia della Camorra
', Rome: Newton Compton editore, * Paliotti, Vittorio (2001). ''Salone Margherita: una storia napoletana; il primo café chantant d'Italia''. Naples: Altrastampa * Pénet, Martin (1995).
Mistinguett: la reine du music-hall
', Monaco: Editions du Rocher, * Tomars, Adolph S. (2020).
The First Oscar Hammerstein and New York's Golden Age of Theater and Music
', Jefferson: McFarland

External links

A performance of Eugénie Fougère, the famous Parisian chantuese in the rag-time cake-walk "Hello, Ma Baby," with which she made such a sensation at the New York Theatre
from the U.S.

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

. *
Eugénie Fougère (1870-1934)
BnF Data {{DEFAULTSORT:Fougere, Eugenie 1870 births 1946 deaths French vedettes French vaudeville performers French music hall performers Belle Époque Articles containing video clips