Rosalie Dame (née Pitauchard)

Rosalie Pitauchard, later Rosalie Dame, was Marie Bashkirtseff's personal lady's maid (femme de chambre) from approximately late 1876 or early 1877 until Marie's death in October 1884. She married Dominique Dame (whom Marie called "Pitauchard") in June 1883, but remained in Marie's service after the wedding, with her husband given a room in the basement of the household at 30 rue Ampère. With approximately 184 diary entries mentioning her across carnets 068--106 (1877--1884), Rosalie is by far the most frequently mentioned servant in the diary and one of its most vivid secondary characters.

Role and Character

Personal Attendant and Confidante

Rosalie's primary role was as Marie's personal maid -- dressing her, styling her hair, managing her wardrobe, and attending to her daily needs. But the relationship far transcended the conventional mistress-servant dynamic. Marie explicitly described the bond in July 1882, when Rosalie announced her engagement:

> "Je l'ai depuis cinq ans et demie et je m'étais si habituée à elle qu'elle était au courant de tout, je lui racontais une quantité de choses, presque tout, riant avec elle" (1882-07-10)

And again in May 1884, after a Salon success:

> "Rosalie est une domestique, une inférieure, je ne lui demande aucun sentiment élevé et pour une femme de chambre elle est parfaite puisqu'elle m'aime et qu'elle est toujours gaie et entre dans mes intérêts comme un vieux serviteur de comédie." (1884-05-03)

Marie's characterization of Rosalie as "un vieux serviteur de comédie" (an old comedy servant) is revealing -- she saw in Rosalie the loyal, shrewd, resourceful servant of stage tradition, a Figaro in petticoats. The description is both affectionate and class-conscious, acknowledging Rosalie's devotion while firmly maintaining the social hierarchy.

Intelligence Network and Go-Between

Rosalie's most distinctive function was as Marie's spy, messenger, and intelligence operative. She gathered gossip from other servants (valets, coachmen, hotel staff), reported back to Marie, and served as intermediary in Marie's romantic adventures. This role is most vivid during the Larderei infatuation in Naples (February--April 1877), when Rosalie:

- Gathered intelligence from Larderei's coachman Charles about his master's behavior (068, 069)
- Relayed that Larderei had been watching Marie through the keyhole since their first night at the hotel (1877-02-13)
- Delivered messages and letters to Larderei (1877-03-16, 1877-04-01)
- Reported on Larderei's movements and sentiments via conversations with his servant Séraphin (1877-06-17)
- Was even considered by Marie as a potential envoy to Florence: "j'ai eu l'idée, sérieusement, d'envoyer Rosalie à Florence pour un jour" (1877-02-22)

This pattern continued throughout Marie's other romantic interests: Rosalie reported on Cassagnac's physical decline on the boulevards (1879-03-05), acted as go-between with Soutzo (1880-05-26), collected letters from Guy de Maupassant at the poste restante (1884-04-27), and carried messages to Rodolphe Julian (1884 passim).

Artist's Assistant and Model

Rosalie frequently served as Marie's artistic support:

- Model for drawing and painting: Marie sketched Rosalie at her washstand (1877-11-18: "un croquis de mon lavabo avec, ou plutôt de Rosalie devant le lavabo"), painted her portrait (1877-08-10: "j'ai ébauché Rosalie en une heure!"), and planned an elaborate portrait: "Rosalie sur un superbe fond de peluche rouge, un cercle d'or dans ses cheveux noirs, une épaule nue" (1878-07-11)
- Sculptor's model: Marie modeled Rosalie's head in clay (1881-08-03: "je me mets à modeler la tête de Rosalie")
- Posing at Julian's: "C'est Rosalie qui pose cette semaine le matin" (1878-05-09)
- Studio companion: Accompanied Marie to the Académie Julian for evening sessions (1877-11-24), to the Louvre (1878-04-15), to outdoor painting sessions (1880-08-06, drawing of Marie's "departure for work" with Rosalie carrying painting equipment)
- Model scout: Rosalie recruited models for Marie from working-class neighborhoods -- "Rosalie aborde les gens que je lui désigne" at the Villette and Batignolles (1884 raw carnet) and found a model with "des hanches harmonieuses, des jambes divines" at the Théâtre des Batignolles (1883-11-24)

Guardian and Caretaker

As Marie's health deteriorated, Rosalie's protective role intensified:

- Helped Marie hide her illness from the family: "Personne ne le sait du reste sauf Rosalie" (1883-09-16, when Marie applied a blister plaster to her chest)
- Fabricated alarming reports to the family on Marie's instructions as part of elaborate domestic dramas (1884-04-04, 1884-04-05)
- At Marie's hearing loss, Rosalie compensated: "Quand Rosalie est là elle m'aide" (1881-08-09)
- Woke Marie for concours and deadlines, sometimes requiring "des efforts surhumains" (1878-01-29)
- Marie's mother added a marginal note defending Rosalie's role: "Rosalie à moitié pour amuser Marie" -- Rosalie was half playing along to amuse Marie (1884-04-05, writing of Mme Bashkirtseff)

Errands and Practical Tasks

Rosalie handled a wide range of practical errands:

- Obtaining theater and political assembly tickets (1878-06-06: "Rosalie est envoyée à Versailles pour avoir des billets")
- Shopping and wardrobe management (1884-08-03: fetching a dress from Paris for Versailles)
- Financial transactions for Marie (1880-04-30: asking the family for money)
- Household logistics and travel arrangements
- Walking Marie's dogs and caring for Coco

Speech and Character Traits

Marie frequently transcribed Rosalie's speech, preserving her Parisian working-class accent and colloquialisms, making her one of the most linguistically vivid characters in the diary:
- Parisian street accent: "En v'là un genre!" (What manners!) to Merisano when he whistled at her (1877-02-22); "l'cocher" for "le cocher" (1877-03-05); "c't air crâne" for "cet air crâne" (1879-03-05)
- Colorful expressions: "ce vieux meuble!" (this old piece of furniture!) about the Baron de Mertens (1877-08-16); "Sacré-non! en a-t-il un trac pour venir le Samedi saint" (1878-04-07); "gueulard" (loudmouth) about a politician (1879-07-01); "machins pareilles" (such contraptions) about Marie's sculptures (1883-07-22)
- Pronunciation of names: "Ladreréel" for Larderei (1877-02-22)
- Romantic enthusiasm: "C'est comme dans un roman!" about the Larderei affair (1877-03-16); "Vive Monsieur le comte!" (1877-03-16)

Marie playfully called her "le dragon" (the dragon) on at least one occasion (1877-06-12) and at times found her "bornée" (dim) -- "Pincio est presque aussi intelligent que Rosalie est bornée" (1877-10-27). She noted that Rosalie "lit très mal" (reads very badly, 1877-08-29). But Marie also recognized that proximity to her had elevated Rosalie: "cette fille à force de vivre avec moi et de m'écouter avait acquis des délicatesses de sentiments et des finesses que je ne trouverai pas dans une autre" (1882-07-10).

Personal Life

Sister's Wedding

Rosalie had at least one sister. She attended her sister's wedding in Paris on 27 October 1877, leaving Marie unattended at the atelier -- a breach noted by Mme Bashkirtseff: "Comment Rosalie, vous avez laissé Mademoiselle seule à l'atelier?" (1877-10-27)

Marriage to Dominique Dame

In July 1882, Rosalie announced her intention to marry, causing Marie genuine distress. The family attempted to dissuade her: "nous avons épuisé les plus beaux raisonnements pour la détourner du mariage mais quand cela tient quelqu'un... rien à faire" (1882-07-10). A replacement was hired, "une femme recommandée par la duchesse," but Rosalie ultimately stayed in Marie's service.

The wedding took place in late June 1883. The groom, whom Marie called "Pitauchard," was actually named Dominique Dame (1883-06-27: "Pitauchard, qui s'appelle en réalité Dominique Dame"). Bojidar Karageorgevitch served as best man (garçon d'honneur) and Marie as maid of honor (demoiselle d'honneur). Invitations were sent jokingly to Coco (Marie's parrot) and Bojidar's dog. Marie noted wryly: "Rosalie et Pitauchard ne sont pas poétiques, ils n'ont pas été touchants et je les soupçonne d'avoir péché d'avance" (1883-06-27).

After the marriage, the couple was given an apartment in the basement of the household at 30 rue Ampère. Marie visited them socially: "nous descendons dans l'appartement des Pitauchard où Rosalie nous offre du thé" (1883-07-28). After the marriage, Marie occasionally referred to her as "Rosalie Pitauchard" and to the couple as "les Pitauchard."

Health

Rosalie fell ill in October 1877 in Paris: "Cette pauvre Rosalie est malade, je ferai tout pour qu'elle reste quoique malade. L'idée d'être sans Rosalie!" (1877-10-05). In early 1882, she caught the same illness as Marie in Spain and was absent for six weeks (1882-01-19).

Opinions and Social Commentary

Rosalie had strong opinions about Marie's suitors and visitors, which Marie recorded with amusement:
- On Larderei: Enthusiastic supporter, constantly feeding Marie's infatuation with reports from the servants' quarters (1877 passim)
- On Soutzo: "Rosalie non plus n'aime pas Soutzo mais elle s'étonne comme les autres familiers de la rapidité avec laquelle il s'est implanté dans la maison" (1880-06-13). Yet even she was moved by his sudden departure: "cette fille qui ne l'aime pas, me dit tout interdite et d'une voix altérée: Comment ce soir, la nuit!" (1880-06-19)
- On Cassagnac: Rosalie tracked him on the boulevards and reported on his decline: "Je ne l'ai jamais trouvé beau mais à présent! Est-il noir, est-il jaune; il n'a plus c't air crâne, il est comme fini" (1879-03-05)
- On Marie's art: Rosalie "sent le plus vivement mon succès" at the Salon -- "elle est folle de joie, me parle avec des attendrissements de vieille nourrice et va raconter des choses à droite et à gauche comme une postière" (1884-05-03)
- On gossip: Rosalie reported that terrible gossip had circulated about Marie for two years, blaming Soutzo (1883-01-15)

Diary Coverage

Rosalie appears across 184 diary entry files spanning carnets 068--106 (1877--1884), making her one of the most frequently mentioned individuals in the entire diary after immediate family members. The index of the raw carnet 16 (books 15-16, the last published volumes) lists her as: "Rosalie (épouse Dame), femme de chambre de Marie" with page references on 28 separate pages.

Her presence is densest during:
- Carnet 069 (Naples, March--April 1877): The Larderei affair, where Rosalie served as chief spy and confidante
- Carnets 073--076 (Paris/Nice, mid--late 1877): Early Paris period, studio companion
- Carnet 095 (July 1882): The announcement of her departure/marriage
- Carnets 100--105 (1883--1884): The final years, as caretaker during Marie's declining health

Historical Context: The Lady's Maid

In affluent 19th-century European households, the lady's maid (femme de chambre) occupied a distinctive position in the domestic hierarchy. Unlike lower servants (housemaids, kitchen staff), the lady's maid was a personal attendant to her mistress, responsible for dressing, hair care, wardrobe maintenance, and personal errands. She traveled with the family, slept near her mistress's rooms, and had intimate knowledge of her mistress's private life. The relationship was inherently ambiguous -- simultaneously intimate and hierarchical, confidential and subordinate.

Rosalie exemplifies both the possibilities and limitations of this role. She was privy to Marie's romantic schemes, art-world ambitions, health secrets, and family conflicts. Marie used her as a sounding board, audience, and co-conspirator. Yet class boundaries remained firm: Marie called her "bornée" (dim), expected unquestioning obedience, and could shift from confiding in her to treating her as a mere instrument within a single sentence. The relationship mirrors patterns described in studies of 19th-century domestic service, where emotional closeness coexisted with rigid social distance.

Disambiguation

Several other women named Rosalie appear in the diary and should not be confused with Marie's maid:
- #Rosalie_Leon -- Rosalie Léon, a demi-mondaine in Nice society (1874)
- Rosalie Wittgenstein -- the mistress of Prince Wittgenstein, whom Marie called "cette petite chienne" (carnets 010--018, 1873--1874)
- #Mlle_Rosalie -- "Mlle Rosalie," possibly the same as Rosalie Wittgenstein, visited by Séraphin (1878-09-11) The context generally makes identification clear: from carnet 068 (February 1877) onward, "Rosalie" without qualification almost always refers to the maid.

Related Entries

- #Maman -- Marie's mother, head of household
- #Dina -- Marie's aunt, who helped care for Marie when Rosalie was absent
- #Bojidar -- Bojidar Karageorgevitch, best man at Rosalie's wedding
- #Julian -- The Académie where Rosalie accompanied Marie
- #Larderei -- Alexandre de Larderei, focus of Rosalie's intelligence operations
- #Cassagnac -- Paul de Cassagnac, whom Rosalie observed on the boulevards