Jean-Auguste Barre French, 1811-1896

Rachel was the stage name for Elisa Felix (1821-1858) considered to be the greatest actress of her generation. Born in Switzerland, she was the daughter of an itinerant peddler and as a child sang in the streets for money. In Paris she was discovered by a church musician and given singing lessons. She went on to study acting with Isidore Samson and in 1838, aged seventeen, she made her debut with the Comèdie Française in Corneille's Horace. Rachel dominated the Comèdie Française during her career. Although she appeared in some romantic plays - notably Adrienne Lecouvreur, written specifically for her, she excelled in roles from classical French tragedy. Her most famous part was the title role in Racine's Phedre. She was known for her magnetic stage presence, her skilled use of vocal nuances, and the intensity of her characterizations.

It was recently been proposed that Barre has represented Rachel in the role of Hermione from Andromaque, rather than Phedre. The identification of her as Hermione is based on a close study of her costume which illustrates the high degree of detail which Barre typically concentrates on in his portrait statuettes of the theatrical world. Modelled in 1847, examples of Rachel are known in bronze, silvered bronze, ivory, plaster and biscuit porcelain.

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Un age d'Or, pp.487-8, no.287