Miss Lange

Anne-Francoise-Elisabeth Lange , known as Miss Lange is a French Actrice and a “Merveilleuse” of the Directoire, born with Genoa the September 17th 1772, died in Florence the December 2nd 1825 (several biographies indicate the date of the May 25th 1816).

Biography

Girl of Charles-Antoine Lange (or the Angel) and of Marie-Rose Pitrot, musicians and actors travelling who occurred through Europe, Miss Lange plays very young person of the roles of ingenuous in the troops where his/her parents occurred. In 1776, the family is committed with the Theater of Liege and, in 1784, one finds it with the Theater of Ghent. In 1787, Miss Lange is committed with the theater of Tours in the troop of Marguerite Brunet known as “the Montansier”.

The October 2nd 1788, it makes its Débuts with the Comédie-Française in the role of Lindane of Scottish the of Voltaire. It is then Lucinde in Oracle of Saint-Foix.

In 1791, when the representations of Charles IX of Marie-Joseph Chénier, part anti-nun and anti-monarchical, divide the troop of the Th3e4atre Fran1cais, Miss Lange follows initially the group known as “of the patriots”, taken along by Talma, which settles street of Richelieu (current room of the Comédie-Française).

But, estimating not to be recognized with its right value, it is not long in joining the faction known as “of the aristocrats” which settled with the theater of the Saint-Germain Suburb, renamed Théâtre of the Nation (current Théâtre of Odéon). The February 24th 1793, it creates there the role of Laure in the Old Single person of Jean-François Collin of Harleville. It is received there member in 1793. She triumphs in the role over Pamela in Pamela or the Virtue rewarded for Nicolas-Louis François de Neufchâteau and puts on at the mode the straw hat said “to the Pamela”. But one finds with the part of the royalist accents: the theater is closed by the Comité of public Hello, the author and the actors stopped. Miss Lange is initially interned with the Prison of Holy-Pelagie then, after a few months of captivity, it manages to be made transfer in the Pension Belhomme, with her cook, her servant and his chambermaid, where it carries out large train thanks to the funds of the Montz banker, so that the street is full with the cars of its visitors. It buys a private mansion Rue Saint-Georges.

Following a denunciation, Fouquier-Tinville opens an investigation which leads to the arrest of Jacques Belhomme and the closing of the establishment. Miss Lange turns over in prison, but of high protections allow him to avoid the guillotine. Released after Thermidor, it enters to the Théâtre Feydeau and carries out good life under the Directoire. It has a connection with the sior Lieuthraud, supplier with the armies who acquired, inter alia, the hotel of Salm and maintains it, says one, on a foot of 10.000 books per day. It also gives its favors to a banking rich person of Hamburg, Hoppé, with which it have a girl, Anne-Elisabeth Palmyre, recognized by her father in 1795. She has finally a connection with another supplier with the armies, Michel-Jean Simons, of which she has a son in 1797. The father recognizes the child and marries the actress, who, become Mrs. Simons, puts a term at her theatrical career. It is on the other hand not very probable that it had a connection with Barras as the booklet of the famous operetta of Charles Lecocq affirms it, the Girl of Mrs Angot , in which Miss Lange appears under her name in a secondary role. Ruined, Simons dies in 1810 in its castle of Bossey in Suisse. Widow, carrying out a solitary life in the lapse of memory and far from her admirors, his wife dies in Florence in 1825 (or in 1816 according to certain biographers). Miss Lange was the cause of the famous scandal which the painter Girodet caused by painting it under the features of Danaé . Indeed, the actress not having liked a first portrait that she had asked him to withdraw Salon of 1799, Girodet was avenged in returning to him lacerated and exposing to the Living room a fabric, carried out in a few days, where she is openly depicted as a prostitute: naked, it collects gold coins in a fabric, while an avoided turkey of feathers of peacock appears her Simons husband and that one of his/her lovers (Leuthraud) is portraituré in grotesque mask, a gold coin inserted in the eye.

Portraits

Colson, Miss Lange as a Sylvie in the part of Collet the deserted Island , Oil on fabric, 1793, Paris, Comédie-Française, exposed to the Living room of 1793.
Girodet, Miss Lange in Danaé , also said Danaé, girl of Acrise , oil on fabric, 1799, Mineapolis, The Mineapolis Institute off Arts, exposed to the Living room of 1799.
Lefebvre, Mrs. Simons, born Lange .

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