Diary of Marie Bashkirtseff
CZENUKFR

Thursday, 22 September 1881

It rains; I paint a seascape from my window. Around five o'clock we try to go to the races, but it is bitterly cold. After lunch we stayed rather a long time in the hotel drawing room — Maman having left there yesterday the Russian newspaper that speaks at length about me (see the press album I am in the process of organizing) — and a Russian lady and her husband read it and said that they had indeed heard of me as a talented painter, in Naples. Had Maman been there she would have struck up an acquaintance — but she has a migraine, and my aunt and I let these

# Jeudi 22 septembre 1881

flattering things pass without raising our eyes from our papers. The lady is ravishing, the husband presentable, the child pretty — they know no one, as we do not, and I believe they would very much like to make acquaintance. After dinner we go back to the drawing room; I read there for the sake of composure — but we really look too foolish in the face of all these people who know each other, who talk, who come and go; I mean the Russians in the midst of whom the Basilevitch lounges. In short — I am at Biarritz, where I have been dreaming of enjoying myself for three years. This afternoon I wore a gray wool dress, plain skirt with a gray satin embroidery cut out and applied along the hem. A Louis XV bodice with a waistcoat matching the embroidery of the skirt; panniers sewn on after the bodice, simply turned back very far and falling rather low. Gray felt hat, matching shoes [words blacked out: Molière style lined] with mauve satin. The ensemble is of a regal simplicity. Yesterday evening Coquelin Cadet1 gave a performance at the Palais-Biarritz. I was all in black; [word blacked out: hat] — correct, have no fear. I was to send Saint Amand society chronicles of Biarritz — names, outfits and so on. I do not know a soul who could name anyone to me.

choses flatteuses sans lever la tete de nos journaux. La dame est ravissante, le mari est bien et l'enfant joli, ils ne connaissent personne comme nous et ont bien envie de faire connaissance je crois. Apres diner nous allons encore au salon, j'y lis par contenance, mais nous avons vraiment l'air trop bete en face de tous ces gens qui se connaissent, qui causent, qui vont, qui viennent, je parle des Russes au milieu desquels se prelasse la Basilevitch. Enfin je suis a Biarritz ou je revais m'amuser, depuis trois ans. Cet apres-midi j'avais une robe de drap gris, jupe unie avec une broderie de satin gris decoupee et appliquee au bas de la jupe. Corsage Louis XV a gilet pareil a la broderie de la jupe, paniers cousus apres le corsage, simplement releves tres en arriere et tombant assez bas. Chapeau de feutre gris, souliers pareils [Mots noircis:Moliere doubles] de satin mauve; L'ensemble est d'une simplicite royale. Hier au soir Coquelin Cadet donnait une representation au Palais-Biarritz. J'etais tout en noire; [Mot noirci: chapeau] correcte, soyez tranquilles. Je devais envoyer a Saint Amand des chroniques de Biarritz, noms, toilettes etc. Je ne connais pas un chien qui puisse me nommer qui que ce soit.

Notes

Coquelin Cadet: Ernest Coquelin (1848–1909), celebrated comic actor of the Comédie-Française, younger brother of the famous Coquelin aîné. ↩