The sun., 1900-08-05
FIRST DAME AUXCAMELIAS
DEATH or MADAME D0CHE. CREAs
TOR or The PART.
Her Great Success In the Part-Dumas said
She Was . Coiiaborator With Him-Het
Yearly Tribute TO the Memory Of the
ORIGINAL of Nsrvvertta Gautler. r.s


Her Great Success In the Part Dumas said
She Was . Coiiaborator with Him-Het
Yearly Tribute to the Memory Of the
Original Of "Margserits Gautier.3
The death Of Alme Doche, announced by tho
cable the other day. extingushes one more Of
the old-time brilliant footlights. II was she
who created the role OF the Dame aux Came
las" She reached the advanced axe OF ~
years and for more than twenty years she
lived In seclusion- She VAS born In Belgium
Of Irish parents. Their name was Plunkett,
and. a. they claimed descent from the famous
Earl OF Fingall. they put de before the name.
making 1t de Plunkett. Eugenie Doche stuck
to her name to the last. She began her dra.
matte career when she was only i5 years o.a,
and when at last she appeared In the Dame
aux Camelias. she made the play fixture on
the boards. Marie Duplessis. said Theophils
Gautisr. after Nine. Doches FIRST appearance a.
Aar0uer,ts Gautier. has at last the statue that
We claimed for her. Tho poet has done the
work Of the sculptor. and. instead Of the body
We have the soul to which Nine. Doche lends
her charming form"
Dumas flls went into eostaciss over her psFs
formanoe. and well no might. for. without herl
his play would probably have remained foS
behind the scenes. Nine. Doohe,. he wroteS
has incsrnated the role In such manner that
her name must remain for ever inseparablG
from the title Of the piece. The dignity. th4
grace and the charm which she displayed With
out effort. are all requisite to portray the diri1
cult character OF JiQrgperte G0utier. The
very appearance Of the actress makes the speeS
tator Inclined to pardon the heroine. ] don'0
believe that any other artistic In any theatre
could be able 10 concentrate around hersel(
so great an amount of sympathy IN this new
creation, The delicate. refined and nervouS
gayety. the easy-soin4 unit~traint and strange
melancholy ,Ganuner1e mingled with devotionl
passion, resignation, grief. ccstecy, serenity
and modesty in the death scene were all fully.
brought out, leaving nothing TO be desired. and
the beauty and the bold brio necessary 10 comS
plete the role. and which constitute its SUBJ
stance and its indispensable plastiQue Sho
leaves no room for advice or even for sngges>
seems TO have written it. Such an artistic ID
not merely an interpreter she becomes .
In her youth Eusene Doohe was singularly
beautiful. She was blonde of a rare type.
with slight and graceful figure, large. dars
blue eyes, dark eyebrows and lashss and purely
sculptural profile. She was naturally very
pale, and II required little Of the stage secrets
TO bring out her pallor to the point required for
the character of .MdrGbtrite Gdafier, Indeed,
IL was said that she used TO get bersef leeohed
behind the ears 10 give her face the exact tone
OF the Consumptlve. But THIS story Was st6rteQ
from the simple fact that the POOR lady suffered
intensely from neuralgia, aud actually did have
the leeches applied. according to the old-tiIn0
cure. At all events, in Mor0ufrIe Gostsr she
catlsed many food OF tears. and old theatre-
goers who saw her in that character never
cared TO see any other actress play il.
In addition to her triumphs upon the stage,
Nine. Doche gained distinction as q leader in
the fashions Of her time. II WIS se who In.
troduced the double skirt and rauze scarf.
From Algeria the Due d'Aumale sent her some
marabout feathers with which she had ore OF
her famous skirts bordered They were de-
scribed rs OF -downy lightness and dyed pale
mauve" The rice straw bonnet with the how-
ing plume was nlso her creation.
The death OF Mime. Doche brings M n perfect
swarm OF interesting souvenirs. Long AFTER
her retirement she still loved the theatre. and
never failed to see Sarah Bernhardt when she
appeared In Paris. and especially when she
played MdroNerite Tdufier. That brought the
old lady back TO the days Of her own triumphs.
A delicate piece Of sentimentali'y. which pict-
Nre.s pecrliarity In the character OF Nine.
Doche Is revealed In the fact that since she
frst won her laures In the Dame aux Came
liaa she never failed on All Saints Day 10 put.
flowers around the modest little stone thas
marks the grave OF young Dumas's first fiancto.
Marie Dupa.sis, whose sad story forms the
groundwork OF the play in which Armand DuraI
Is in reality Alexander Dumas.