Marie-madeleine Guimard

See also: Guimard

Marie-madeleine Guimard (" Guimard") is a Danse uses French baptized with Paris the December 27th 1743 and died in this same city the May 4th 1816.

Natural girl of an inspector of the fabrics of Voiron, which recognizes it later only twelve years, raised by an interested mother hearing monnayer the charms of her daughter, Marie-madeleine Guimard begins her career of dancer in 1758 with the Comédie-Française which had a corps de ballet then. But its social rise goes back to its admission in 1761 with the royal Académie of Music.

The Opera, called the “lyric gambling den”, was used as fish pond of young subjects for the rich person company able to maintain them on a large foot. This situation allowed and is tolerated because of frankness which confers on interested engagement in the opera. Once “encataloguée”, the young artist escapes at the same time from the police force and the parental supervision.

“well done and already in possession of the prettiest throat of the world, of a figure rather well, without being pretty, the eye rascal and range with the pleasure ”, it the men in spite of a thinness like which will become famous. In 1760, it has a first connection with the Leger dancer of which it has a child. Without resources, it is confined in an attic in the middle of the winter, “ without fire and lace courtepointe”.

Then, the lovers follow one another without none ensuring the stability of a durable maintenance to him, until its meeting with Jean-Benjamin de Laborde, first ordinary manservant of the king and type-setter of music. A girl, also called Marie-madeleine, is born from this connection in April 1763. Largely maintained, Marie-madeleine is in right to obtain the signs external of the ease from which his/her colleagues profit from the opera.

The Theater of Puppet

This work was obviously with the load of Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise, richissime lover of Guimard which for as much preserves Laborde like “honorary lover”. True sultan, it maintained several mistresses at the same time generally recruited in the corps de ballet the opera, and which it never leaves without their ensuring of comfortable pensions. It was able to make live Guimard in a luxury which she had never known and to allow him to have an ostentatious way of life exceeding that of its rivals. Among its requirements, she wanted to organize spectacles with Pantin able to attract a public of choice. To this end, a theater is put in building site during the year 1768 for its opening in December. The house, bought two years earlier, on September 7th, 1766, were composed of two bodies of building located street of Montreuil (current street Charles-Auray) at the site of the Paul-Langevin school.

One is unaware of the name of the architect of the theater of Puppet. Is this Ledoux, which will build its Hotel of the Roadway of Antin? No document for the moment makes it possible to establish it with certainty. Consequently, during five years, Pantin will become a very famous village. “One speaks about going to Pantin as of going to Versailles” to applaud spectacles “for which Charles Collé seems to make only its theater of company, Carmontelle to write its proverbs, of Borders It to compose its music”. These spectacles “where aristocratic all-Paris of time, including the princes of blood, aspires to the honor to be allowed”, make scandals because of their libertinage. They begin on Thursday, December 7, day of the Virgin, by the Shooting party of Henri IV , which, because of its success, is given again the day before and the Christmas Day. In July of the following year, the noise court of a suspension of the spectacles because of defection of Soubise, but they take again shortly after with the triumph of the head with wig .

Increasingly licentious representations in particular follow one another, so much so that one fears their prohibition by the authorities, “the most spiced parade Vadé”, Mrs Engueule , parade followed by a fricassee danced by Guimard and Jean Dauberval become his greluchon. Of the same the truth in the wine of Charles Collé, qualified “masterpiece of the theater grivois” obtains one big hit. Guimard plays a part there, of its voice described as sepulchral. It is possible to have an idea of this tonality grivoise, by the closing speech of September 1770 reproduces by Goncourt in its biography. Centered on the concepts “of entry and exit”, it is of a heavy vulgarity.

Soon the money of Soubise is not enough any more to meet the requirements of Guimard. It increases its incomes by the financial assistance of monseigneur of Jarente of the Heather, bishop of Orleans, become his lover.

The " Temple of Terpsichore" in Paris

Yielding to the mode, it is made build by the architect Ledoux a splendid hotel in the new district of the roadway of Antin, comprising a theater being able to accommodate 500 people. The awaited opening of this “temple of Terpsichore” is carried out on December 8th, 1772, putting fine at the spectacles of Puppet.

A dinner envisaged in the hotel was prohibited by the archbishop of Paris. The food of this feast of one hundred covers was then carried to the priest to make the distribution with the poor of it, and this missed feast was called the “Supper of the Knights of Saint-Louis” , because of the five louis, price of the contribution…

But the money missed soon and the dancer was in the obligation to put her hotel in lottery (hotel which will be destroyed during the work carried out by Haussmann).

Shortly after its retirement, it Marie in 1789 with Jean-Etienne Despréaux (1748-1820), dancer and chansonnier.

External bonds

  • Large dictionary of the women of Old France
  • M {{the}} Guimard on site CÉSAR
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