The V. Rigaud
perfumery is one of the oldest in France, dating back to the reign of King
Louis XVIII. We can thank the Rigaud family for introducing celebrity
fragrances to the world.
There are several early postcards and
magazine ads featuring opera singers advertising perfumes that were named in
their honor. The postcards from the famous Paris perfumery, V. Rigaud, are
particularly beautiful. If you were a BIG star you had an entire line of
products named after you, which was the case with Mary Garden. She had
perfume, facial powders, toilet water, lipstick, creams, and an assortment
of other toiletries named after her. However, Rigaud may have introduced
some Mary Garden products without her consent. As a result, Garden sued
Rigaud in 1937, and won! If you are a collector, the tins which carried
these products can still be found.
(1-5) Examples of V. Rigaud
advertisements featuring Mary
Garden and her line of cosmetics.
(6) Geraldine Farrar:
American soprano (28 Feb 1882 - 11 Mar 1967): Debut Berlin (Hofoper) 1901 as
Marguerite. Created Amica (Mascagni), Goosegirl in Königskinder,
Madame Sans-Gêne, Suor Angelica. Huge Metropolitan Opera career.
"Jerry-flappers."
(7) Mary Garden:
Scottish soprano (20 Feb 1874 - 3 Jan 1967): Recommended by Sybil Sanderson
to Carré of the Opéra-Comique (1900). Created Mélisande (1902), Leroux's
la Reine Fiammette, Saint-Saëns's Hélène, Massenet's Chérubin and Sapho,
and Erlanger's Aphrodite. First American Thaïs.
(8) Mary Garden as Salome.
(9) Emma Trentini:
Italian soprano (1878 - 23 Mar 1959): La Scala, London CG, Manhattan Opera
(noted for her Musetta), and the toast of Broadway in Naughty Marietta
(1906-09).
(10) Carolina White:
American soprano (23 Dec 1886 - 5 Oct 1961): Stage debut as Gutrune in
Götterdämmerung (1908: Teatro San Carlo). First Chicago Minnie (La
Fanciulla del West). First American Maliella (1912: I Gioielli della
Madonna). Italian opera houses, Chicago, Boston, NY for operettas.
Appeared in film, My Cousin Caruso (1918) opposite Enrico Caruso.
Collection Artistique du Vin
Désiles
There are a number of halftone postcards
of opera singers, actors, dancers, and entertainers from this series. They
appear to have been published around 1907. There are also some postcards
with the heading "Collection Artistique du Vin Désiles"
in red that appear to have been published earlier. Those particular cards
have undivided backs. The cards like the one featured here have divided
backs. All of the postcards have facsimile signatures. Some of images were
taken by renown photographers such as Nadar, Reutlinger, Boyer, and Berger.
(11) French tenor Lucien
Muratore (1878-1954) had designs on being an actor. However, on the advice
of Emma Calvé, his talents were redirected toward opera. In 1902 he made his
operatic debut opposite Calvé in the world premiere of Reynaldo Hahn's La
Carmélite at the Opéra-Comique. His career quickly grew, and soon he
mastered most of the principal tenor roles. Ultimately, however, his acting
would be more frequently commended than his somewhat inconsistent voice. One
friend noted, after hearing a recording of his voice, "He sounds like a
Munchkin." Muratore was married for a time to the Italian soprano, Lina
Cavalieri.
(12) Emma Sandrini, a
dancer with the Monnaie and the Paris Opéra.
(13)
Juliette Simon Girard
(1859-1954), creator of the role of Madame Favart in Robert Planquettes opéra
comique Les cloches de Corneville , first produced at the Folies
Dramatiques , Paris , 1877.
(14) French soprano Aline
Vallandri (1878-1952) made her debut (1904) at the Opéra-Comique in the
title role of Mireille. She remained there for thirty years, creating
many roles for the Comique.
(15) Belgian tenor Ernest
van Dyck (1861-1923). For a short time he studied law and worked as a
journalist before beginning singing lessons with, among others, the composers
Chabrier and Massenet, an association that led to his creation of Massenet's
Werther in 1892. His first appearance in Bayreuth was in 1888 as Parsifal.
Although he did not have the most beautiful voice, his intelligence and the
ability to learn roles on short notice were a godsend to opera house
managements.
Card identified in the
Collection Artistique du Vin Désiles
set so far:
André Allard
(opera)
Sarah Bernhardt
Leon Béyle
(opera)
Martha Brandes (ballet)
Albert Brasseur
Marguerite Bresil
Lucien Bréval
(opera)
M. Carlier
(opera)
Marguerite Caron (opera)
Enrico Caruso
(opera)
de Caillavet &
Robert de Flers (horizontal card)
Juliette Darcourt
Gilda Darthy (opera)
Paulette Darty
Jean-François Delmas (opera)
Marcelle Demougeot (opera)
Marie de l'Isle (opera)
Yvonne Dubel
(opera)
Auguste-Jean Dubulle (opera)
Hector Dufranne
(opera)
Geraldine Farrar (opera)
Lucien Fugère
(opera)
Germaine Gallois
(operetta)
Mary Garden
(opera)
Jeanne Guionie
Hatto (opera)
Felia Litvinne
(opera)
J. Margyl
(opera)
Marthe Mellot
Marguerite Mérentié
(opera)
Lucien Muratore (opera)
Nuovina
Maggie Van Parys
Jeanne Rauney
(opera)
Marthe Régnier
Gabrielle Robinne
Emma Sandrini
Juliette
Simon-Girard (opera)
Aline Vallandri (opera)
Ernest Van Dyck (opera)
Carlotta Zambelli
(ballet)
Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie
These postcards were produced for the
1900-1901 season at the Monnaie in Brussels, Belgium. Each black and white
card has an individually designed nouveau-styled frame surrounding a featured
performer from that season. These cards are very seldom seen.
(16) Augusta Doria
(Charleston, MA: 17 Jun 1873 - ). Augusta Doria is the stage name of
Augusta Klous, from Charleston, Massachusetts (her parents were born in
Prussia). After various small appearances in America, she traveled to Berlin
in 1894. Eventually, she wound up as a pupil of Madame Marchesi in Paris.
Although engaged for the Opera Comique, she never sang there. Instead, she
appeared at the Monnaie on 20 Nov 1900 as Brangaene in Tristan und Isolde. She
married a Belgian and became Madame Doria. Later, she was back in America
(1908) to sing with the Manhattan Opera House.
(17) Madame Duval-Melchissedec.
(18) E. Gottrand.
Performed in the role of Noémie with Louise Homer on a 3 Nov 1899
Cendrillon, and Freia in Das Rheingold on 31 Oct 1898.
(19) French soprano Marie Thiéry
(1875-1918) made her first appearance at the Monnaie during the 1900-01 season
as Mimi in La Bohème. Her career was established at the Opéra-Comique
where she had great success. She made her debut there in Gounod's Mireille
(1898). She was involved in several world premieres, among them the title
role in Missa's Muguette (1903), Bruneau's L'Enfant Roi as
Georget (1905), and Silver's Le Clos as Genevieve (1906). She was well
known for her Micaëla (Carmen), Rosina (Barbiere di Siviglia),
Marie (La Fille du régiment), Sophie (Werther), and the title
roles of Lakmé and Manon.
(20) Jean Vallier.
Others in the 1900-1901 Théâtre Royal de
la Monnaie set:
