Who is Souricette?

Recently, I bought this little cigarette card (4 by 6 cm; 1.7 by 2.7 inch) and wondered if the Souricette on the picture could be French actress Musidora (1889-1957). With her heavily kohled dark eyes, somewhat sinister make-up, pale skin and exotic wardrobes, she created an unforgettable vamp persona in the Louis Feuillade serial Les Vampires (1915-1916). Her Irma Vep is a voluptuous, amoral villainess, who wears the same black leotard, hood and tights as  Souricette on my cigarette card. I googled Musidora and found images of her in the same style and costume, but not this particular picture. Nor did I find an indication that her picture was used by Cigarettes Le Nil. So I asked two ladies for help.


French cigarette card by Cigarettes Le Nil, no. 38. Photo: H. Manuel.

Thieves operating in hotels
First I mailed with Marlene Pilaete of La Collectionneuse and asked her if this could be  Musidora  or an imitator. Marlene is a real Mrs. Sherlock who often helps me with little postcard mysteries and corrects my errors at  European Film Star Postcards.

Marlene replied me: "This cigarette card is a good find. Of course, I cannot be sure at 100% but I really think she’s Musidora . Her distinctive face is recognizable. I have among my vintage Musidora cards one on which she is exactly dressed the same way (but the pose is different). I even recognize her shoes.

Musidora  has been photographed several times by the Manuel studios, so this is a further clue.

I don’t know why she is called 'Souricette' on this cigarette card. She is dressed here in her famous costume from Les vampires. It’s a typical outfit worn by the thieves operating in hotels.

You certainly remember that in Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, Cary Grant and Brigitte Auber also wear this kind of leotard. In French, those thieves are called 'souris d’hôtel'. 'Souricette' being a kind of diminutive form of 'souris', maybe that’s where the publishers got their idea."


French postcard, no. 67. Caption: Le Tréport - Le Repos de la Pêcheuse de Crevettes. (Le Tréport - The Rest of the Shrimp Fisherwoman). Musidora working as a bathing beauty for picture postcards. Collection: Marlène Pilaete.

A Dog called Lacsalé
I also contacted Dutch film historian Annette Förster, author of Women in Silent Cinema. Histories of Fame and Fate , which has been selected for the prestigious Choice Outstanding Academic Titles list 2017.

Her book is a study on the comprehensive accounts of the professional itineraries of three women in the international silent cinema: Dutch stage and film actress Adriënne Solser, Canadian-born actress and filmmaker Nell Shipman, and  Musidora .

Annette writes me: "I'm pretty sure that this is  Musidora , not so much because of all the similarities, but mainly because of the dog in the lower right corner: that is her own dog Lacsalé!

He is also on other publicity photos of  Musidora , such as those by Photogenie that she had sent to Cinéa (see my book on page 243).

What a great find!"

Thank you, Marlène and Annette, and Lacsalé too!


French postcard by Editions Gordon & Cie., Vincennes (Seine).