Mily Meyer and Jeanne Granier by Nadar

Meyer as The Duchess and Granier as Duke of Parthenay in "Le Petit Duc" by Lecocq CREATORS 25/1/1878 théâtre de la Renaissance


MILY MEYER
(Émilie Mily Meyer)
(1852-1927)
French Soprano
Her professional début was at the Eldorado café-concert; she then went to the Théâtre de la Renaissance and appeared as the young duchess in the premiere of Le petit duc on 25 January 1878. Creations in La Camargo (1878),[2] Petite Mademoiselle (1879) and Belle-Lurette (1880) swiftly followed
also appeared at the Théâtre des Nouveautés as Kate in the French premiere of Rip and at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens as Bianca in the first run of La Béarnaise in 1885. Also at Théâtre des Variétés was La Princesse de Trébizonde, while at the Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques she was in the French premiere of Millöcker's La Demoiselle de Belleville (Die Jungfrau von Belleville).

Among many other operettas in which she sang were Roi de Carreau (1885) and Babolin (1884) at the Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques (November 1884); La vie mondaine (1885) at the Théâtre des Nouveautés, and at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens, La Béarnaise (1885), as Benjamine in Joséphine (1886), Gamine de Paris (1887), Le Retour d'Ulysse (1889), Le mari de la reine (1889), Cendrillonnette (1890) and revivals of Les petits mousquetaires and La Princesse de Trébizonde. Back at the Renaissance, she created La gardeuse d'oies (1888) and La petite Poucette (1891); followed by La Demoiselle du Téléphone (1891) at the Nouveautés, Fleur de Vertu (1894) at the Bouffes, and L'Élève du Conservatoire (1894) at the Théâtre des Menus-Plaisirs.

JEANNE GRANIER
(31 March 1852 – 18 or 19 December 1939) was a French soprano, born and died in Paris,
Granier was a pupil of Madame Barthe-Banderali, studying both opéra-comique and Italian music. Her debut was in 1873 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, replacing at short notice Louise Théo as Rose Michon in the opening run of La jolie parfumeuse. Thus noticed by Offenbach, she went on to create Giroflé-Girofla (Paris premiere), title role in La Marjolaine, the title role in Le petit duc, Janot, Ninella, Mme le Diable, Belle Lurette and Fanfreluche.
At the Théâtre des Variétés Granier appeared in major roles in revivals of La belle Hélène, Barbe-bleue, and La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein. Her other premieres at various Paris theatres included Mlle Gavroche (at the Variétés), Jacquette-Jaquet in La Béarnaise (Bouffes), Therèse in La cigale et la fourmi (Gaité) and Les saturnales (Nouveautés).