Diary of Marie Bashkirtseff
CZENUKFR

Sunday, 10 April 1881

At the Gavinis', la Bailleul — the family en famille, Monsieur, Madame, and the baby.

Chez les Gavini, la Bailleul en famille, Monsieur, Madame et bébé.

Alexis dines with us, then the priest arrives.1

Alexis dîne avec nous puis vient le pope.

Monday, 11 April 1881

To the Chamber again. The Andrieux question and the municipal council.2 Bescherelle places us in the diplomatic box — a grand session but tedious. In the evening to the Variétés.3 Judic and Dupuis are such refined, such perfect performers that even an insignificant piece is amusing throughout.

Encore à la Chamre. Question Andrieux et conseil municipal. Bescherelles nous place dans la loge diplomatique, grande séance mais ennuyeuse. Le soir aux Variétés. Judic et Dupuis sont des comédiens si fins, si parfaits que la pièce insignifiante amuse tout le temps.

Tuesday, 12 April 1881

The Gavinis invite to the Comédie-Française; Maman goes alone. Papa sends Mme Gavini a plant in a handsome vase.

Les Gavini invitent au Français, maman seule y va. Papa envoie à Mme Gavini une plante dans un beau vase.

In the evening la Bailleul, Papa, my aunt and I play baccarat and I win twenty-three francs. It gives me the idea to paint four pairs of hands playing cards — nothing but the hands; it would be amusing.

Le soir la Bailleul, papa, ma tante et moi faisons un baccara et je gagne vingt-trois francs. Ça me donne l'idée de faire quatre paires de mains jouant aux cartes, rien que les mains, ça sera amusant.

Wednesday, 13 April 1881

Saint-Amand comes to announce these lines in Le Sport. He is in raptures at his own talent as a promoter. "The day it brought me twenty francs, it would no longer be Agathe." He confines himself to inspiring the articles.

Saint Amand vient annoncer ces lignes du "Sport". Il est en extase devant son talent de lanceur. "Le jour où ça me rapporterait vingt francs, ça ne serait plus de l'*Agathe"*. Il se borne à inspirer les articles.

We spend the whole day going about among the tradespeople and in the Bois.

Nous nous promenons toute la journée chez les fournisseurs et au Bois.

My father is in the best of humours and wants only that we should live together. But our letters have explained the situation, I think.

Le père est dans les meilleures dispositions, il ne désire que de vivre ensemble. Mais nos lettres vous ont expliqué je pense la situation.

What I want is to stay until the Grand Prix,4 after which I would go spend three months in the country painting en plein air, then to Biarritz, and return to Paris.

Ce que je veux, c'est rester jusqu'au Grand Prix après j'irais passer trois mois à la campagne peignant du plein air, puis à Biarritz et rentrer à Paris.

Thursday, 14 April 1881

Notes

Le pope: the Russian Orthodox priest. Easter (Orthodox Easter in 1881 fell on 24 April) was approaching; the pope's visit relates to the family's religious observances. ↩
Louis Andrieux (1840–1931): radical politician and prefect of police (1879–1881), later revealed to have been the secret father of the anarchist Georges Sorel. The Andrieux question referred to controversies surrounding his tenure; he was removed from his prefecture in early 1881. The municipal council debate was a perennial parliamentary battle between republican factions. ↩
The Théâtre des Variétés on the Boulevard Montmartre: one of Paris's most popular boulevard theatres, home to operetta and light comedy. Anna Judic (1849–1911) and José Dupuis (1833–1900) were its stars. ↩
The Grand Prix de Paris: the prestigious June horse race at Longchamp, one of the great social occasions of the Parisian season. ↩