Who is Souricette?
French cigarette card by Cigarettes Le Nil, no. 38. Photo: H. Manuel.
Recently I bought this little cigarette card (only 4 by 6 cm) and wondered if the Souricette on the picture could be the French actress Musidora (1889-1957). With her heavily kohled dark eyes, somewhat sinister make-up, pale skin and exotic wardrobes, she created an unforgettable vamp persona. She is best known for her role in the Louis Feuillade serials Les Vampires (1915-1916) as Irma Vep, the voluptuous, amoral villainess, who wears the same black leotard, hood and tights as the pictured Souricette.
I googled Musidora and found images of her in the same style, but not this picture. Nor did I find an indication that her picture was used by Cigarettes Le Nil. So I asked two ladies for help. First I mailed with Marlene Pilaete of La Collectionneuse and asked her if this could be Musidora or a mere imitator. Marlene is a real Mrs. Sherlock who often helps me with little mysteries at European Film Star Postcards and corrects my errors. She replied me: "This cigarette card is a good find. Of course, I cannot be sure at 100% but I really think she’s Musidora. Her distinctive face is recognizable. I have among my vintage Musidora cards one on which she is exactly dressed the same way (but the pose is different). I even recognize her shoes. Musidora has been photographed several times by the Manuel studios, so this is a further clue. I don’t know why she is called 'Souricette' on this cigarette card. She is dressed here in her famous costume from Les vampires. It’s a typical outfit worn by the thieves operating in hotels. You certainly remember that in Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, Cary Grant and Brigitte Auber also wear this kind of leotard. In French, those thieves are called 'souris d’hôtel'. 'Souricette' being a kind of diminutive form of 'souris', maybe that’s where the publishers got their idea."
I also contacted Dutch film historian Annette Förster, author of Women in Silent Cinema. Histories of Fame and Fate , which is selected for the Choice Outstanding Academic Titles list 2017. Her book is a study on the comprehensive accounts of the professional itineraries of three women in the international silent cinema: Dutch stage and film actress Adriënne Solser, Canadian-born actress and filmmaker Nell Shipman, and Musidora. Annette wrote me: "I'm pretty sure that this is Musidora, not so much because of all similarities, but mainly because of the dog in the lower right corner: that is her own dog Lacsalé! He is also on other publicity photos of Musidora, such as those by Photogenie that she had sent to Cinéa (see my book on page 243). What a great find!"
Thank you, Marlène and Annette, and to Lacsalé!
Who is Souricette?
French cigarette card by Cigarettes Le Nil, no. 38. Photo: H. Manuel.
Recently I bought this little cigarette card (only 4 by 6 cm) and wondered if the Souricette on the picture could be the French actress Musidora (1889-1957). With her heavily kohled dark eyes, somewhat sinister make-up, pale skin and exotic wardrobes, she created an unforgettable vamp persona. She is best known for her role in the Louis Feuillade serials Les Vampires (1915-1916) as Irma Vep, the voluptuous, amoral villainess, who wears the same black leotard, hood and tights as the pictured Souricette.
I googled Musidora and found images of her in the same style, but not this picture. Nor did I find an indication that her picture was used by Cigarettes Le Nil. So I asked two ladies for help. First I mailed with Marlene Pilaete of La Collectionneuse and asked her if this could be Musidora or a mere imitator. Marlene is a real Mrs. Sherlock who often helps me with little mysteries at European Film Star Postcards and corrects my errors. She replied me: "This cigarette card is a good find. Of course, I cannot be sure at 100% but I really think she’s Musidora. Her distinctive face is recognizable. I have among my vintage Musidora cards one on which she is exactly dressed the same way (but the pose is different). I even recognize her shoes. Musidora has been photographed several times by the Manuel studios, so this is a further clue. I don’t know why she is called 'Souricette' on this cigarette card. She is dressed here in her famous costume from Les vampires. It’s a typical outfit worn by the thieves operating in hotels. You certainly remember that in Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, Cary Grant and Brigitte Auber also wear this kind of leotard. In French, those thieves are called 'souris d’hôtel'. 'Souricette' being a kind of diminutive form of 'souris', maybe that’s where the publishers got their idea."
I also contacted Dutch film historian Annette Förster, author of Women in Silent Cinema. Histories of Fame and Fate , which is selected for the Choice Outstanding Academic Titles list 2017. Her book is a study on the comprehensive accounts of the professional itineraries of three women in the international silent cinema: Dutch stage and film actress Adriënne Solser, Canadian-born actress and filmmaker Nell Shipman, and Musidora. Annette wrote me: "I'm pretty sure that this is Musidora, not so much because of all similarities, but mainly because of the dog in the lower right corner: that is her own dog Lacsalé! He is also on other publicity photos of Musidora, such as those by Photogenie that she had sent to Cinéa (see my book on page 243). What a great find!"
Thank you, Marlène and Annette, and to Lacsalé!