Jenny Zillhardt

Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2026-10-21 Diary Coverage: 1877-11-27 to 1884-03-31

Overview

Zillhardt is a fellow student of Marie at the women's atelier of the Académie Julian. The Mon Journal index (t.14) identifies her as «Zillhardt (Jenny) élève à l'atelier Julian» and also has an entry «Zillhardt (Les)», i.e. the Zillhardt sisters. She is probably the painter Jenny Zillhardt (1857–1939), who began at Julian's in 1877, studied under Tony Robert-Fleury, and first showed at the Salon in 1878 (Wikipedia, «Jenny Zillhardt»). Marie only ever writes «Zillhardt» (never a first name), so the identification rests on the printed index.

An earlier version of this entry called her «Amélie Zillhardt». That came from 090/1880-11-11, where the text reads «tant [Mots noircis: que cette Amélie] Zillhardt qui était venue voir si ce n'était pas pour rire en fut tout ébahie» (090.0212); the Amélie of the blackened words is not a first name for Zillhardt. In 076.0263 Marie lists them as separate persons («Amélie, Zillhardt, la Polonaise, sont après moi»), and the t.14 index gives the first name Jenny (p.24, which is this very passage). Amélie Beaury-Saurel is a different student.

Madeleine Zillhardt, Louise Breslau's later companion, was Jenny's sister (English Wikipedia; see Breslau). Whether Marie's plural «les Zillhardt» includes her is not stated in the diary.

Relevance to Marie

A middling-to-good atelier colleague, measured against by Marie in the Salon rankings:

• She is among the students ranked after Marie in the first concours at Julian's: «Je suis dans les six premières. Amélie, Zillhardt, la Polonaise, sont après moi» (076/1877-11-27, 076.0263).
• April Fool's Day 1879: «Zillhardt fut si prise qu'elle s'apprêtait à y courir» after Marie's Gambetta prank (084/1879-04-01, 084.0587).
• 1880-11-11: she came to see whether Marie's tears under her monk's hood were genuine («si ce n'était pas pour rire») and «en fut tout ébahie» (090.0212).
• 1881-01-09: «les Zillardht» are among the Julian students at Marie's gathering (090.0556, 090/1881-01-09; Marie's spelling; the RSR note there reads them as the Zillhardt sisters).
• 1881-05-01: at the Salon, «je trouve les Zillhardt et Julian» (091.0546, 091/1881-05-01).
• 1881-08-13: «Julian s'est trompé pour Zillhardt cette année, il avait prédit du bien et il en est résulté une horreur» (092.0401).
• 1881-12-17: «La grosse Zillhardt est venue, bonne fille» (094.0081, 094/1881-12-17).
• 1882-05-24 and 05-26: Zillhardt receives a mention honorable at the Salon and offers a punch at the atelier; «Pour Zillhardt cela ne me fait aucun effet; pas comme pour Breslau» (095.0087, 095.0094, 095/1882-05-24); the award is «une des mieux justifiées» (095.0107, 095/1882-05-26).
• 1883-05-24: she visits with Villevieille and Claire; «Je parais très contente devant Zillhardt» (099.0571-0572, 099/1883-05-24; not tagged at present).
• 1884-03-31: Marie compares her own Salon rank (3) with Zillhardt's (2) and Breslau's (2) (103.0631, 103.0635, 103/1884-03-31; not tagged at present).

Sources

• Mon Journal t.14 index: «Zillhardt (Jenny) élève à l'atelier Julian : 24, 187, 265»; «Zillhardt (Les) : 60, 123».
• Wikipedia, «Jenny Zillhardt» (en).

References in Diary

076/1877-11-27 (076.0263); 084/1879-04-01 (084.0587); 090/1880-11-11 (090.0212); 090/1881-01-09; 091/1881-05-01; 092/1881-08-13 (092.0401); 094/1881-12-17; 095/1882-05-24; 095/1882-05-26.