Portrait of Rachel Flix

Born into poverty, Rachel Flix was the daughter of a Jewish peddler from Alsace. She was a street singer in Lyon until being discovered by a vacationing Parisian school master who brought her to Paris in order that she might receive proper theatrical training. Flix made her stage debut at the Comdie Franaise when she was 15 and became a full member by the age of 20. A celebrated beauty, Flix was said to convey both the glory of France and eternal beauty in her stage performances. Constantly reinventing herself on the stage, she did not shy from difficult roles, excelling in her performances of the most modern playwrites of her era: de Musset, Hugo and Dumas. Flix became the inspiration for writers as varied as Henry James, Gustave Flaubert, George Sand, George Elliot and Emily Bronte.

Her fame was so great that Flix was referred to simply by her first name, and she became very wealthy through her art. She toured throughout Europe, visiting London, Moscow, Rome and even performed in New York, Philadelphia and Havana. She never married but had several infamous liaisons. She had a son by Count Walewski, and was later linked with Napoleon III and his cousin Prince Napoleon, "Plon-Plon." At the age of 37 Flix died of consumption and was buried in the Pre Lachaise cemetary.

The present work is a highly finished oil sketch of Gerome's 1861 Salon painting Rachel (Comdie Franaise, Paris) which had been commissioned by the actress' sister after her death.