The story of a costume

Julia Bartet (1854–1941), known as "divine Bartet," was born in 1854 and, along with Sarah Bernhardt in particular, was one of the main actresses of the Belle Époque. She joined the Comédie-Française in September 1879 and became its 307th member in December 1880 by unanimous committee vote. The theater's general manager at that time, Émile Perrin, who had modern tastes, expanded its repertoire to include several contemporary plays. Julia Bartet's versatility allowed her to take on roles as the young leading lady in classical plays, recent adaptations, and new creations. She played the part of Yvonne de Chambreuil in "Pépa" at the age of 34.

Miss Bartet's dresses were described in "La Cocarde" (November 2, 1888), a French newspaper established by Maurice Barrès: "Rose-leaf satin, Japanese-style negligee embroidered with braiding and blue-green plumetis. Skirt in the form of a train, opening over a satin petticoat with a touch of pink, itself covered with silk muslin decorated with Malines frills; the underneath, which is miraculously hazy, can also be seen under the train and on the sides, and forms a delicious, well-proportioned, light and silky bodice." The description surely comes directly from the Comédie-Française and was written for readers wanting to copy the dresses worn by Julia Bartet.

Indeed, as fashion became more popular from the 1870s, the press became the intermediary between stage and city fashions. The Comédie-Française programs at that time also provided an excellent showcase for fashion designers and couturiers. This was a reciprocal relationship. When an actress was dressed by a couturier, the latter was given publicity in the program.

"Pépa" is a play that deals with the recently introduced law on divorce and its social consequences, which was a means to women's emancipation. A woman formed a single social entity with her husband.Under the Third Republic, the Naquet law of 27 July 1884 re-established divorce on the basis of specific failings. This meant that women's social status would undergo a great upheaval.

Social changes to the status of women allowed them to modernize and to enter into a new era of independence. Emancipated from their husbands and from the burden of a married woman's etiquette, they would henceforth be able to assert themselves.

It was entirely natural that fashion should follow this evolution by offering haute-couture dresses and costumes created to empower women.

This costume fits the female form of the end of the 19th century in every respect, with a "boned" structure that contrasted with the bustle at the back.

The label inside the costume identifies the fashion house that produced this garment as the Maison Doucet in Paris.