Mlle. Joly Violetta, Famous European Dancer

At the turn of the twentieth century, the beautiful French star Joly Violetta graced the stages of theaters around the world . A dancer and pantomimist, her career began in Europe, but her popularity carried her to South Africa and Brazil, as well as the United States.

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE Joly Violetta  plays a gypsy in 1905

Joly Violetta often partnered with the Brazilian dancer Arnaud, who "assisted [her] in parodies and Brazilian dances." Alone, and with M. Arnaud, she trod the Vaudeville stage, headlining with Will Rogers and other famous acts of the time.

SOLD Mlle. Joly Violetta

Joly Violetta introduced a popular pantomime in Berlin, which she brought with her to the United States and performed in her first US appearance at the St. Paul Minnesota Orpheum Theater. Her performance was positively reviewed in the January 23, 1909 issue of the New York Star:

Despite her many successes on the stage, we have been able to learn very little about Joly Violetta's personal life, making her something of a mystery. We do not know where she was born, nor the date of her birth, and her later life is also obscure. Should anyone have any information which could shed some light on her biography, we would be delighted to learn of it.

We are lucky enough to have found another image of Joly Violetta, which will soon be available in the Red Poulaine Etsy shop:

As you can see by the embroidery on her blouse, Joly Violetta is wearing a costume that is either the same, or very similar to, the one she is wearing in the first postcard in this post. We find the details of this costume particularly wonderful, from the embroidery on the blouse and vest, to the simulated tatters, or flower petal designs, of the skirt, and we hope that you will agree that this is a wonderful find.