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KÂ- MONDO / KAPANDJI MORHANGE

51 - [MANUSCRIPT] - [THEATRE]. Diary of an actress at the end of …
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Estimate €200 - €400
Sale commission
Description
[MANUSCRIPT] - [THEATRE]. Diary of an actress at the end of the 19th century, illustrated by photography. Manuscript, 1875. Small in-8 (150x100mm), half basane with corners, upper cover captioned with 3 initials "P. R. L.", a quotation "Il est un tas de vieilles choses...", the title "Concours Conservatoire / Début Vaudeville" and the dates "Paris, 4 Sept 1875 - 4 Sept 1905", gilt edges. [1f.] 80pp [1f.] , p.64 to 80 left blank; 7 sepia photographs pasted down, 2 play brochures stuffed ("Le Glorieux" by Destouches; "Une fille d'Ève" by Deslandes and Bocage), 1 engraved portrait of Régnier from the Comédie-Français slipped in. The main body of the journal is 40ff. of parchment, written in black ink with a beautiful handwriting reminiscent of that of Pierre Louÿs or Marceline Desbordes-Valmore. Drawings dot the pages, framing the photographs or the titles of the sections in a taste prefiguring Art Nouveau. A large photograph on p.4 depicts the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, while the other smaller square photographs show the fronts and doors of buildings, one of which is clearly identified as the Théâtre du Vaudeville on Boulevard des Capucines - now the Gaumont-Opéra cinema. In terms of content, the diary appears to cover - in retrospect - the first 2 years (1875-1876) of an actress's career, and more specifically two major events: the Conservatoire competition and her first engagement at the Théâtre du Vaudeville. It contains reproductions of newspaper articles reporting on the competitions, a calendar of performances, and several quotations from poems and books; a poem by Rosemonde Gérard, Arsène Houssaye's preface to a book entitled "Confessions d'une cantatrice" and extracts from the latter, by A. Reney Lebas. The initials of this signature, combined with those of one of the actors in the play "Une fille d'Ève" attached to the diary (Paul Reney, alternating with A. Lebas) could indicate that these two people married and made a Mme Paul Reney Lebas, which would correspond to the initials on the binding cover... A moving treasure hunt that we must continue to unravel!
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About the sale Prestige sale - Antiquarian and collectible books
Auction location
Auction time 06/15/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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