The Chinese Room Small circular room called the Chinese room with its red and gold dome. Edmond Rostand had a precious decor in Coromandel lacquer put into it, a gift from his brother-in-law, Pierre de Margerie, plenipotentiary Government Minister based in Beijing. These black lacquered panels with brightly coloured patterns were decorated with landscapes, pagodas, flowers, rocks, trees and many figures framed with precious objects. This magnificent decor was dismounted after the sale of the home. Two of the medallions from it remain above the door and the fireplace.

Main artwork

Buffet and folding card-table, Boulle-style Napoleon III marquetry. Coromandel lacquer: one of the two medallions from the original decor

Arnaga in 1921

In 2020, the Villa began to clean the bronze elements of the mantelpiece. The lions adorning the jambs have regained their lustre from the beginning of the 20th Century.

Family History

Grand-father Alexis-Joseph - father Eugène - mother Angèle drawn by Jean Coraboeuf at an early age and later Eugène Pascau - Uncle Alexis by Pascau.

Pastel portrait of Jeanne, Edmond’s sister by Albert Besnard - niece Odette, sons Maurice and Jean by Pascau. Edmond as a child by Eugène Lagier. Photograph of Juliette and Jeanne, Edmond Rostand’s sisters. Painting of Jean Rostand.

In the flat showcase, a hotchpotch of photos from over a 30-year period. In the showcase, documents about Edmond’s family and childhood. A book awarding the 1st prize for Latin to his great grandfather Joseph Rostand in 1819, portraits of his maternal grandparents, the little notebook that his mother Angèle kept which gives details of his childhood, his first drawings representing boats, his first poems, the text and homework copied by his tutors, school medals and book awards showing early recognition of his literary talent, his baccalaureate diploma, a photo album…

The Great Hall Designed in an English style, this room is remarkable for its theatrical aspect.

Originally the balcony communicated directly with Edmond Rostand's bedroom on the

first floor. Above the oak wood panelling, there is a frieze depicting Victor Hugo's poem –

“La Fête chez Thérèse” - illustrated by painter Gaston La Touche.

The bay windows, opening out to both gardens, allow nature to

enter the house. This museum room reminds us of the first plays

created by the young Edmond Rostand from “Gant Rouge” to “La

Samaritaine”. The details can be seen in the album “La naissance

de l’œuvre”. Main artwork

Drawings and paintings by Eugène Pascau : full-length portrait of Edmond Rostand, portait of Edmond Rostand, Rosemonde Gérard « The Foliage

Dress » donation from the Orsay Museum, Jean Rostand as a child.

Photograph of Edmond Rostand in his Académie Française attire. Paintings by Clémentine-Hélène Dufau: Rosemonde Gérard in a green dress, Rosemonde Gérard in a blue hat, Maurice Rostand, auto portrait of Clémentine-Hélène

Dufau, donation from the Orsay Museum.

Drawings by Clémentine-Hélène Dufau: Edmond Rostand and his Dalmatian, Maurice Rostand as a dandy.

Arnaga in 1921

Some furniture can be seen on period photographs like the Basque table with mobile legs.

Modifications were made at an undetermined date: the main decor by Henri Martin “La joie de vivre” was dismounted (and is now in a private collection in the USA). Access to the Chinese drawing-room was transformed.

Other original furniture

Piano given to Rosemonde Gérard by composer Jules Massenet when she married Edmond Rostand. Table in beechwood and white walnut with an oak surface bearing a glass top with photos from the period. Series of red furniture painted by Edmond Rostand himself with Chinese motifs. The red chairs appear to be in the old photographs.

Remarkable objects in the showcases

A very luxurious cigarette-case from Cartier in black lacquer. In a corner, there is an oval diamond circled by 16 emeralds. The push button is an emerald too. The hand-written signature is engraved inside. Several bronze sculptures: “The distant princess” by Marius Vallet, Sarah Bernhardt’s hand. Stick and sword used on stage by Sarah Bernhardt in l’Aiglon in 1900. Broach in yellow gold of millesimal fineness 750 with pink cut diamonds, representing Sarah-Bernhardt, topped with an eaglet (l’Aiglon) and adorned with four pink cut diamonds. Different elements from the correspondence between Edmond Rostand and Sarah Bernhardt. Poem by Rostand written in 1896 comprising 31 quatrains that the actress recited in front of the bust of Alexandre Dumas’ son who had passed away the previous year.

In the showcase tables, original manuscripts and original photographs: Manuscript of a sonnet entitled “Straforel” written by the creator of the character, Maurice de Féraudy, in “Les Romanesques”. Translation of “Faustus” by Goethe. Papers hand-written by Edmond

Rostand or copied by Rosemonde showing her involvement in her

husband’s work.

Ballot sheets from the election of Edmond Rostand in the Académie Française, central place during the reception at the Académie Française, draft of his speech in Edmond Rostand’s handwriting with portraits drawn, record of the speech at the reception and speech copied by hand by Rosemonde Gérard to be sent for printing.

The Library Edmond Rostand's library contained more than 15,000 books. When he died his family sold them. The museum has been progressively reconstituting this library thanks to donations from relatives and friends.

Recently the town of Cambo-les-Bains bought part of this collection, including more than one hundred books with Edmond Rostand's monogram on them. Many of these books carry an inscription written by the author of Cyrano de Bergerac.

Original decoration and objects The room is decorated with two paintings by Clémentine-Hélène Dufau, artificially opening the library to the outdoors. Above the fireplace, the sculpted scene and the stained-glass work complete the allegory of dreamlike nature. This room is dedicated to Cyrano de Bergerac: on the balcony, four silhouettes of the creator of the part, Constant Coquelin and below, scenery from the five acts of the 1897 performance. The panels explain the birth and posterity of Cyrano through the eyes of the poet's wife. Armchair and desk where Edmond Rostand wrote the famous play. The Regency-style armchair was the one from the scene with Coquelin in the last act.

Arnaga in 1921

The modernity of Arnaga The ventilation gratings on the floor used to blow hot air produced by heating batteries which have now disappeared.

Edmond Rostand had his books bound with his monogram: two Rs back to back and intertwined with and E.

Remarkable objects

Roxane's dress by Christian Lacroix. Donated by the Comédie Française Empire-style dress in white muslin on white Bemberg. Puffed sleeves and bodice with white lace. Made by the Comédie Française workshops. In 2006, the Comédie Française created a new version of Cyrano directed by Denis Podalydès. The dress is placed in the context of the scene. Roxane, played by Françoise Gillard, flew several meters above the stage. She was listening to the words of love pronounced by Christian-Cyrano.

César Award for the best actor of the year in

1991 given to Gérard Depardieu in Cyrano de Bergerac by Jean-Paul Rappeneau. Donated by the actor.

Fake noses for Cyrano: On the left the one worn by Pierre Santini, on the right, by Michel Vuillermoz. Actors' donations

Actors who played Cyrano From left to right : Constant Coquelin in 1898, Jean-Paul Belmondo in 1990, Pierre Dux in 1956, Jean-Claude Drouot in 1985, Jean Martinelli in 1946, Daniel Sorano in 1960, Charles Le Bargy in 1913, Gino Servi in 1953, Maurice Escande in 1949, Jean Marais in 1970, Jacques Weber in 1983, Pierre Magnier in 1923, Jean Piat in 1964.

The Dining-Room

Louis XVI style dining-room covered with a fake-marble baroque wall decoration. The room opens out on to a terrace with a gazebo. In order to create an illusion of volume, the inside shutters have mirrors. Above the doors, paintings by Gaston La Touche illustrate the four elements. In an alcove, a marble sideboard from the Pyrenees has a portable cooler. A large terracotta representing two swans swimming monumentalizes the whole ensemble. A laurel leaf garland frames the scene. It was a gift from the actress Cécile Sorel.

Remarkable artwork

Full-length portrait of Rosemonde Gérard by Caro Delvaille Oil on canvas. 1904-1906

Arnaga in 1921

Reconstitution of how the dining-room table was set Thanks to the inventory carried out after the death of Edmond Rostand, we know that the mistress disposed of a white and gold porcelain dining set, a crystal glass service and cutlery from Christofle. A knife with the Rostand monogram is kept in the collections. It is a Louis XVI Trianon from Christofle.

The table has been reproduced with similar elements. It has been set in the French style.

Christofle catalogue from 1900. The Louis XVI Trianon range

The modernity of Arnaga

In 1906, Edmond Rostand used to dine in electric lighting. This appears natural to us today. But in fact, only the author of Cyrano could afford “Electric fairy” and had the ambition to implement it. State of art equipment was installed in the Villa and in the stables: three independent electric circuits, kilometres of encased wiring, half a megawatt of power!

Electric central heating, considered to be more efficient, replaced the fireplace.

Plug point on the floor connected to a bell in the pantry.

The Empire-style Study This cabinet previously decorated the Parisian residence of the poet from where it was

dismounted in June 1904. It needed to be adjusted to fit the volumes of the room in

Arnaga. The walls and the furniture are in lemon tree wood. They are decorated with

bronze ornaments which recall popular Empire style themes: reference to Antique art,

structures with straight lines, sharp edges and absolute symmetry. The library has books written by his friends: Pierre Loti, Louis de Robert, Anna de

Noailles... Anecdotes about them are provided by Paul Faure is his book of souvenirs

"Vingt ans d'intimité avec Edmond Rostand". Remarkable Empire-style objects

Detail of the decoration on the chairs. The swans in golden wood serve as armrests. The wings are up against the body of the bird and its neck is decorated with a pearl necklace. Laurel crowns. Victory on a triumphal chariot

Arnaga in 1921

“L’Aiglon” On 15th March 1900, Rostand started out on a dangerous new adventure: to renew the exploit of Cyrano de Bergerac. The play was performed in the Sarah-Bernhardt Theatre, with the unforgettable actress playing the part of the Emperor's son. Edmond Rostand explains: “I tell the story of the last two years of his life, his short sad life - like a rose which loses its petals before fully blossoming... My first act takes place in 1830 in the waters of Baden. I added nothing… No love in this drama. Women love him. But he is absorbed in a higher idea, an idea which is too intense, like a giant crown for Phoebe’s head. And then I showed how the blending of his Bonaparte and Habsburg blood created his internal struggle… Sarah is extraordinary, you will see”. L’Aiglon was a triumph. Rostand became a “National Poet”.

At 56, Sarah Bernhardt took on the part of the young prince. Rostand said about her: "Sarah is extraordinary. Physically, she has nothing of a transvestite. She has lost weight, she was massaged... the outfitters know their job...I cannot explain.... It's perfection.”

Main artwork

Draft of l’Aiglon in Edmond Rostand’s hand-writing - Rehearsal of l'Aiglon by Revil, in the centre Edmond Rostand and Sarah Bernhardt. Lucien Guitry is seated wearing the costume of Flambeau, an ex-Grumbler in l'Aiglon. Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt by Chatran – Sculpted Bust of the Duke of Reichstadt by Louis Oury.

In the left new of the showcase, preparing for creation: Letter from Edmond Rostand asking for information about Baron Sturmer, who was chief of police in Sainte-Hélène – Cartouche by René Lalique for the original 1900 edition - Souvenirs from creating the play by Maurice Rostand - Baptême du Roi de Rome 1811 Medallion. Plaster head of l’Aiglon by Saint-Marceaux - Statuette of l’Aiglon made by Edmond Rostand – Sarah Bernhardt’s rehearsal book.

Menu in honour of Sarah Bernhardt on December 9th, 1896 – Menu project designed by Georges Clairin on the occasion of a banquet organized for Edmond Rostand’s election by the Académie Française.

In the third showcase, adaptations: Original drawings by René Péron for the 1956 edition. Photographs of actors who played L’Aiglon: Signed photo “to Maurice from the Austrian Aiglon”, the American actress Maud Adams performing in New York in 1900, French actor Jean Weber in 1949 and Pierre Vaneck in 1964.

The Pantry The pantry is the room between the kitchen, located in the basement,

and the dining-room, which can be entered through the door located next

to the call board. There are many cupboards for storing dishes and table

linen needed for table setting. The large tin sink with hot and cold water

was used to clean the tableware. A dumbwaiter elevator connects the

pantry to the kitchen. Bells enable communication between both levels. Remarkable artwork and objects

The room is decorated with a frieze of hens designed especially for this room, referring to the play Chantecler by Edmond Rostand. Hyppolite Boulanger porcelain company in Choisy-le-Roi.

Alcohol flasks with the Rostand monogram

White, gold patterned porcelain service which had belonged to Madame Lee, Rosemonde's mother

Christofle Louis XVI Trianon

knife with the Rostand monogram

The modernity of Arnaga

Near the window, a Jacob Delafon filter for pasteurizing water. Advertizing at that time claimed that filtering water avoided propagation of diseases. The filter came with removable cellulose porcelain filter discs.

This call board enabled the Rostands to call for the servants. The main rooms were connected to the pantry with continuous current cables.

The Kitchen The kitchen in the basement is a large room with a coal oven

and hood, a stone sink, work tables and storage cupboards. Like

the pantry, the kitchen is decorated with a frieze, here with cats

playing.

Restoring the kitchen

The kitchen has been undergoing restoration work

since 2013. The damaged ceiling has been repaired.

The original lighting system has been restored by a

team of volunteers.

The oven was restored free of charge by Pierre Néron

using an electrolysis technique which respects the

metal surface.

The Children’s Room This study room and playroom was originally designed for the two children, Maurice and Jean Rostand. But in 1906, they were already 15 and 11 years old so the room was used by all the family as a cosy private space. The walls are covered with Canadian ash wood incrusted with mother of pearl. The paintings were painted by Georges Delaw. They illustrate traditional French songs.

Remarkable artwork and objects The furnishings of this room have been progressively returned to Arnaga: Cambo-les-Bains purchased the armchairs and table, the Denon Museum in Chalon-sur-Saône donated the bench. Still missing - a low sofa and a harpsichord - to return to the original state. The hunting horn chandelier was re-created to replace the original object shown in photos dating from the period.

Paper theatre having belonged to the Rostands, remounted. The drawings were attributed to J.F. Schreiber, a famous German publisher between 1878 and 1921. They were to be cut out and glued on cardboard. The characters which were on them have disappeared.

The Puppet Theatre

Puppets and accessories having belonged to Edmond Rostand and his family. He can be seen in the photograph handling the puppets himself in front of his children. Among the adults we can see Constant and Jean Coquelin, and Rosemonde’s mother, Mrs. Lee.

Arnaga in 1921

The modernity of Arnaga

The telephone, an under-floor ventilation system, electric plug points on the walls, an entire electric network built into the wood panelling.

Hydrotherapy Room

According to the 1919 inventory after the death of Edmond Rostand, this room was equipped with two enamel baths and shower devices, a bath-warmer, a dryer, a cane chair and bathroom accessories. The floor was covered with lead sheets on which squares made of Burmese teak wood were placed (restored by Laurent Vacher in Ondres). Like all the bathrooms in the house, this room is covered in white tiles, decorated with light blue tiles here. The tap system, for hot and cold water was designed and made by Jacob Delafon. Emile Duval, in his guidebook « Hydrotherapy Practices » published in 1891, explains that its action is based on liquid which has a different temperature to that of the skin, often colder, which creates a reaction in the two major functions: blood circulation and breathing.

Risen floor built on lead sheeting

In Arnaga, the presence of a heated floor with wooden grating enabled large quantities of projected water to be evacuated. Edmond Rostand could be given showers moving the spray up and down his body.

Under the wooden grating, a lead floor sloping gently towards the far left-hand corner of the room, enabled the water to be evacuated. Two bath tubs made it possible to have two baths at different temperatures, one cold and one hot. Excerpt from the Jacob Delafon Catalogue in 1901

The presence of a bath heater in addition to hot water, evokes another practice, that of steam showers. If the reservoir's water had medicinal properties, the shower had a fumigating effect on Edmond Rostand's respiratory system, which was particularly fragile.

Bath-heater from the Jacob Delafon Catalogue in 1901

Remarkable objects

Sarah Bernhardt’s massage table. The back and the footrest are adjusted using a rack and pinion system.

Hot water and cold water taps, from Jacob Delafon, bringing water to the bath tubs

The Children’s Room Originally, this room was shared by both children, Maurice and Jean until the eldest

moved to the second floor. The very stylish design was inspired by the Directoire style. The furniture with drawers was hidden in wardrobes of which traces can be seen on the floor. It was on this school desk that Maurice and Jean studied. As their parents did not wish them to go to boarding-school, they had private tutors come to Arnaga. At a very early stage Maurice was destined to write. Jean discovered natural science by reading Jean-Henri Fabre's work and became passionate about insects and amphibians.

Main exhibits

To the left, the portrait of Rosemonde Gérard captioned Maman is a drawing by Maurice Rostand. On the right, the drawing captioned Jean is a portrait of the future biologist by Edmond Rostand. The young child, staring at his father, can be recognized by his face framed with long curls. These two original drawings were acquired by the museum in December 2018 and exhibited for the first time.

The furniture with drawers have "Children’s bedroom" written on the back and therefore originally furnished this room. In the drawers to the left of the door, documents concerning Maurice Rostand are presented. Manuscripts of plays, conferences, reproductions of letters like the ones from his friend Jean Cocteau. To the right of the door, the drawers contain objects which belonged to Jean: his stereoscope to see 3D pictures, his theatre binoculars, and his alarm clock which, thanks to a lamp, projected the time on the ceiling.

The butterfly boxes are copies of the original boxes belonging to Jean Rostand which are too fragile to be exhibited. They were made by Bruno Bestion. Portraits on the wall. Maurice by Paul César Helleu and Jean with the butterfly by Eugène Pascau.

Maurice Rostand’s communion on the 5th June 1902. Photograph taken at Rosaenia, Professor GRANCHER’s home. From top to bottom, left to right:

1str row Edmond ROSTAND – Eugène FASQUELLE (editor) 2nd row Abbé SCHLEG (Priest in Cambo) – Eugène ROSTAND (Edmond’s father) –

Doctor Albert DOTEZAC – Jeanne DOTEZAC – Mme GRANCHER (the Professor’s wife) – Mme TEI – Marie DOTEZAC

3rd row Mme LARO – Angèle ROSTAND (Edmond’s mother) – Professor GRANCHER – Rosemonde GERARD (Edmond’s wife) – Mme Sylvie LEE (Rosemonde’s mother) 4th row Laure GOMEZ – Silvia Anita CAYROL – Miss Emily DAY 5th row Hélène TELLERY – Maurice ROSTAND – Néné LURO (taking communion) her

sister Lily LURO – Jean ROSTAND – Maurice VELTER

Rosemonde’s Wardrobe The decor painted in red shades on canvas is inspired by 18th century Chinese motifs.

However the architecture, characters and animals have more fantasy to them, and the plants that are represented… reflect a taste for Oriental dreams. This room is furnished with cupboards concealed in the rounded walls. Rosemonde Rostand had her wardrobe there. The window offers one of the best views over the garden, in a symmetrical axis with the Basque mountains on the horizon.

Rosemonde’s elegance

Rosemonde was a woman of her time, with a focus on the evolution of fashion. The theatrical environment in which she lived led her to be in direct contact with the greatest couturiers. Her clothes came from Worth, Doucet, Fortuny, her hats from Caroline Reboux.

Dress by Jacques Doucet Fortuny dress Dress by the Callot sisters This outfit from Mariano Fortuny is a “Delphos” dress, named after the charioteer of Delphi, inspired by the ancient Greek chiton. It is in finely pleated plain silk. The “Cnossos” shawl wraps itself around the dress like a sari.

Rosemonde’s Bedroom The decor of this room is in a Louis XVI style. Dominated by straight lines and

decorative patterns which are directly inspired by Antiquity and vegetation: palmettos, laurel leaves… As in the other rooms, certain doors are not apparent, dissimulated in the wood panelling. One leads to the Bath Room. Another leads to a small cupboard which itself goes out onto the balcony.

Main exhibits

Full-length portrait of Rosemonde by Caro-Delvaille. Portrait of Rosemonde as a child. In the showcase, several works by Rosemonde, handwritten or published, including the manuscript of the biography she wrote about her husband, as well as several objects belonging to her: her wedding ring, a medallion representing her profile, medallions with portraits of her children, her marriage certificate dated April 2, 1890… The “love medal” made by jeweller Augis inspired by the poem L’éternelle chanson published in Les Pipeaux in 1889.

Rosemonde in the “Belle-Epoque” era

Rosemonde Gérard was a famous figure at the end of the 19th Century and her public life was

described in many articles. In January 1910, her portrait could be found on the front pages of

magazines like Je sais tout, an illustrated encyclopaedia magazine for family reading.

Rosemonde Gérard was very active in Parisian literary circles. As early as 1904, she was a member

of the jury for the literary prize la Vie Heureuse which claimed to be the female version of the

Goncourt Literary Award. With Anna de Noailles as president, la Vie Heureuse changed its name in

1922 to become the Prix Femina. Rosemonde also became a member of the Female Literary

Academy and received the Legion of Honour in 1931. Her two membership cards can be seen in

the showcase.

Commenté [B1]:

Commenté [B2]: c

Biography of Rosemonde Gérard

Louise Rose Etiennette Gérard, called Rosemonde, was born to “unknown father and mother”, as

stated in her birth certificate. Her father, Count Louis Maurice

Gérard (1819-1880), acknowledged her in 1868 and left her his

fortune in 1868. Rosemonde is the grand-daughter of Etienne

Maurice Gérard (1773-1852) Baron of the Empire, a General, a

Marshall then War Minister and President of the Council in 1833.

This illustrious family descended from Madame de Genlis (1746-

1830), grandmother of Field Marshall Gérard’s wife, governess of

the princes of Orleans, in particular the future King Louis-Philippe.

Raised by her mother, Madame Sylvie Lee, maiden name Perruche

Lee, who claimed to be her “tutor”, Rosemonde was also tutored

by Alexandre Dumas’ son and Leconte de Lisle. She received the

best education and moved in the highest literary spheres. This lover

of literature published Les Pipeaux in 1889, crowned by the

Académie Française. Beautiful, intelligent and wealthy, the young

woman met Edmond Rostand, still a student, during a holiday in

Luchon in 1887. United by a common love for poetry, they married

in 1890. In awe of her husband's talent, she chose to sacrifice her

career to serve her poet's glory. Their son Maurice Rostand

remembers: "It seemed to her that the time and attention that she

would devote to her personal career would endanger that of

Edmond Rostand.”

Moving to the Basque Country proved to be very difficult for this woman who was used to the

charms of Parisian life. “Is it not Nature that keeps Edmond Rostand in this Basque country where

there is not one single activity that amuses people in Paris: not one pleasure, no distractions, no

theatres..." sighed Rosemonde Gérard.

The couple separated in 1913. Rosemonde started writing again and published L’Arc-en-ciel (1926),

which brought her the honours of the Académie Française, Fééries in 1933, Rien que des chansons

in 1939 and Les Muses françaises in 1943. She worked regularly with her son Maurice and wrote

many plays. An admirer of her deceased husband, she dedicated a biography to him in 1935 where

she paid vibrant homage to him. She died on the 8th July 1953 aged 87.

Portrait of Mme de Genlis

Edmond Rostand’s Bedroom On the plans, this room is Edmond Rostand's bedroom. But in reality, his secretary

Louis Labat quickly took it over, Edmond Rostand preferring to sleep in the rooms in the wing which were smaller but sunnier. The room is decorated with elm wood panelling in a Directoire style. In the image of the Empire Style which followed it, the Directoire style was a return to antique architecture. Elements of Roman architecture, in particular pilasters - pillars embedded in a wall from which they protrude.

The modernity of Arnaga Like all the rooms in the house, hot air was transported from the basement by pipes built into the walls. The windows were equipped with double-glazing. An ingenious piston system facilitated opening and closing.

Moreover, there are several three-phase and single phase sockets.

Arnaga in the “Belle Epoque” exhibition: Edmond Rostand’s friendships in Cambo

Jacques-Joseph Grancher (1843-1907)

Hospital physician and senior professor at the medical faculty in 1875, senior physician at Tenon hospital in 1879, and then in Necker hospital in 1881, Joseph Grancher devoted many publications to lung conditions, describing spleno pneumonia, ever since known under the name of “Grancher’s disease”. In 1885, working alongside Louis Pasteur, he was the doctor who vaccinated young Joseph Meister against rabies.

He came to Cambo to cure his pneumonia which he contracted in 1892. Two years later he settled there and built a huge house called Rosaenia. Inaugurated in 1898, it became an active meeting place. Town counsellor in 1896, he was then was elected mayor of Cambo-Les Bains in 1900, and re-elected in 1904 until he resigned in 1905.

He organized large scale work to improve public services (electrification of the town, installation of phone lines…) which encouraged Edmond Rostand to come for treatment and then settle in Cambo. He finally lost his fight against pneumonia on the 13th July, 1907.

Commenté [B3]:

Louis LABAT, Edmond Rostand’s secretary

Louis Labat (1867-1947) is known for his role as Edmond Rostand’s secretary. He was a translator, a journalist and a drama critic as well as being a renowned poet, novelist, playwright and photographer. This little man, thin and slender, was incredibly active and managed to deal with the poet’s mail for sixteen years, classifying and clarifying it, and replying to most of the letters. He freed Rostand of a considerable amount of work and enabled him to hold off his popularity without offending too many people by his silence which would have been almost unavoidable. After working as his secretary, Louis Labat returned to his passion as an author: translation. With perfect command of the English language, he translated works by British and American writers, in particular Arthur-Conan Doyle and his famous Sherlock Holmes. Paul Faure, a friend and a biographer

Paul Faure (1876-1968) was a writer who worked for the most important magazines of the time, such as Les Annales or L’Illustration.

He met Edmond Rostand in October 1900 during a reception at Doctor Grancher’s villa Rosaenia. “I wanted to see the man who everyone was talking about. Then by chance I became his neighbour, I had to get a glimpse at him”. Over the years, he became Edmond Rostand’s friend and published an important testimony in 1927 entitled Vingt ans d’intimité avec Edmond Rostand.

Guardian of the history of Edmond’s life in Cambo, it was he who created the Edmond Rostand museum in 1958 then prepared the acquisition of Villa Arnaga by the town in 1961.

Remarkable objects

Busts of Paul Faure and Louis Labat by Andrée Mante, Jean Rostand’s wife.

Lithograph by the famous illustrator Hansi depicting a young girl from Alsace kneeling in front of a soldier’s tomb. It has an inscription which reads “To Mr. Edmond Rostand of the Académie Française in memory of the admirable poetry recited in favour of the Village Conference (Cercle Volnay, 3rd December, 1917)”. On the left, a small aquarelle representing the bell tower in Eguisheim, dedicated to “The bell-tower poet. A bell-tower in Alsace! As a testimony of profound admiration.” The painting was given to Louis Labat who then gave it to a young cousin after the war. The latter asked her children to donate the painting to Arnaga. This was done in 2017.

Portrait de Paul Faure par Edmond Rostand

The Blue Drawing-room

This room was also inspired by Antiquity with its engaged demi-columns and laurel leaf frieze. It was seemingly used as a smoking room. The room opens out to a small terrace which overlooks the English garden. The floor of the three aligned rooms has a spectacular parquet surface composed of three wood types (maple, mahogany and light oak).

Arnaga at the “Belle Epoque” exhibition: Leisure and activities of a family of artists

In Cambo-les-Bains, Edmond Rostand used to indulge in his favourite pastimes: walking, horse-riding, cycling and driving. It was during a horse ride that he discovered the piece of land which was to become the Arnaga estate.

Edmond Rostand was keen on innovation and loved motor vehicles. He successively acquired several cars: a 15 HP Torpedo from the French branch of Daimler Motor, a double phaeton from the same brand and another from the luxurious Delaunay-Belleville company and even a limousine from Renault.

It was in these vehicles that he travelled to Paris and the press commented them in great detail. To drive from Cambo to Paris, the Action Française magazine wrote, in 1909: “He had covered 900 kilometres in 22 hours, having only stopped for a few minutes in Angoulême and one hour in Tours for lunch.”

Passage from the inventory drawn up in 1919 when Edmond Rostand died

Amongst the eight servants and fifteen gardeners that Sarah Bernhardt enumerated during her visits to the Rostands’ home, there was one who made the headlines, the coachman who became their chauffeur. When Edmond Rostand settled in Cambo, he offered to hire Antoine Rondoni. The story spread by the press revealed the indomitable nature of the coachman. A vet from Bayonne one day called him a “stooge”, to which the Italian responded with a “slap on the face”. The case went to court and the coachman was acquitted thanks to support from the poet. It was this same coachman who, in 1911, was driving Rostand’s car when an impressive accident occurred and was relayed by the press. After having worked for the Rostands, Antoine Rondoni opened the first automobile garage Cambo-les-Bains.

Rostand and his chauffeur Rondoni

In this family, animals were very important. Other than the horses, not

less than 40 dogs could be seen on the estate, kept in the big kennels

located near the stables. Amongst the races that the Rostand couple

owned, there were many mountain dogs, guard dogs, Pomeranians

(Prince), spaniels, bulldogs, Dalmatians, police dogs, Japanese, Abruzzo

shepherd dogs, Belgian shepherd dogs, bull-terriers (Clémencette), and a

groenendael (Patou).

Jean Rostand in front of the kennels at

Arnaga

The press at the time would tell

stories about the Rostands, in

particular about Rosemonde Rostand, who used to experiment

with dressage sessions or hypnosis. She also took part in many dog

shows where her pets won many prizes: greyhounds, Dalmatians,

and small shorthaired luxury dogs.

To the left: a drawing of Rostand with the Dalmatian by Clémentine

Dufau, a photo of Rosemonde carrying her Pomeranians, Jean as a child

holding a young Jack Russel and a portrait of Rosemonde with her sheep

dog.

“In the hen house, there were the prettiest hens in the world and the rarest ones. In the dovecote, pigeons and peacocks. Parrots, because of their guttural screeching, had been re-located to the mill”, Pierre Espil relates in his book entitled Edmond Rostand, une vie in 1998.

This attachment for animals and the ode he devoted to them in Chantecler made Edmond Rostand an important figure in the eyes of the French Society for the Protection of Animals which awarded him an honorary diploma in April 1910.

Hunting and fishing were two other pastimes which the poet enjoyed, sometimes in the company of his favourite actor, Constant Coquelin. The museum owns the fishing rod belonging to the first actor to play Cyrano de Bergerac, presented here for the first time.

As a family, games, puppet shows and music were regular activities. Edmond Rostand himself acted to entertain his children.

As for Jean Rostand, he was a keen butterfly hunter and would dig the earth looking for insects to observe. Paul Faure relates his first meeting with Jean, “As for (…) Jean, (…) we found him at the bottom of the garden, spread out on the ground, lying, on his belly. Armed with a knife with a silver-gilt handle which he must have taken in a case in the dining-room, he was desperately rummaging in the soil. – This one, his father told me, is passionate about insects.”

Jean with a butterfly. Drawing by Eugène Pascau

Rosemonde’s Boudoir This was Rosemonde's secret place. Its decor was inspired by Art Nouveau. The walls are covered with glazed tiles with a marquetry rosewood, beech and maple frieze above it. The whole room has a 20m long uninterrupted frieze, one meter high, which rolls out around the room. The painter Jean Veber represented scenes from fairy tales: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty... These paintings were purchased by the town of Cambo-les-Bains. Currently being restored, they returned to their original setting in March 2019.

Original furniture

The furniture which can be seen in period photographs is in maple wood. The marquetry associates beech, rosewood and mother of pearl. The furniture itself, with its hooved feet, seems to have come straight out of a fairy tale.

Above the fireplace, a clock with a strange characteristic: it has 14 hours. Made by Boris Vian’s grandfather, Henri Vian, it illustrates the expression “Chercher midi à quatorze heures” (looking for midday at 2pm). Jean Rostand explained that this also helped them to get rid of spongers who wanted to join them for lunch. It was no longer midday.

The fairy tale decor by Jean Veber

The Fairy Painter

For Rosemonde and Edmond Rostand whose genius he admired, Veber painted the four panels of the Boudoir in Arnaga in the theme of Perrault and Mme d’Aulnoy’s fairy tales. These panels were exhibited in the Salon de la Nationale, in 1905, where they were extremely popular. This uninterrupted composition covers the four walls of the boudoir, inserted into a totally fairy tale decor.

Jean Veber represented eight fairy tales, mainly chosen from Perrault’s tales: Peau d’Ane, Sleeping Beauty, Puss in boots’ wedding, Cinderella, Riquet à la Houppe. He completed this ensemble with two tales by Madame d’Aulnoy, Gracieuse et Percinet and L’Oiseau Bleu and an invented tale, La Cage d’Or. The most characteristic episodes from these tales are illustrated in these paintings.

These paintings are full of details and references to other fairy tales. For example, we can see Little Red Riding Hood talking with Tom Thumb. In the background, we find

hydrangeas from the Arnaga gardens.

The members of the Rostand family can all be easily recognized in the fairy tales: Rosemonde in Peau d’Ane with her sun-coloured dress, Maurice Rostand as the prince coming to free Sleeping Beauty and again the youngest child, Jean Rostand as a young sleeping page next to this princess.

Arnaga at the “Belle Epoque” exhibition: Considerate domestic staff

The Rostands had many servants who they considered as part of the family.

From an early age in Paris, the children Maurice and Jean, were brought up by a nanny. Maurice Rostand in Confession d’un demi-siècle, speaks of his memories “She was my nanny (…) she had large crowns of ribbons around her rustic face. I love her. She was one of the first people I loved, one of those who I have loved for longest”. Adeline Delpech, a nanny, served the family until she died. The two brothers loved her so much and were so fond of her that they never agreed to be separated from her. Jean Rostand put her up in his home in Ville d’Avray. The death of “Nounou” in 1939 affected the entire family.

Rosemonde entrusted her English housekeepers, Miss Hemphrey and then Miss

Day, with Maurice and Jean’s education. Until 1900, they had a rather exclusive

education, closely supervised by Rosemonde. The move to Cambo changed this

situation: the children were to have private tuition in their home. Louis Labat,

Edmond Rostand’s secretary was in charge of teaching them Latin, Miss Day taught

English, and tutors for history, maths and science came from Bayonne. Edmond

Rostand, unlike his father who had supervised his studies, hardly showed any

interest in his children’s education. His only interference was to impose Raymond

Lerouge as their philosophy tutor.

Madame Lee, Rosemonde’s mother

Silvie Zénobie Perruche (1833-1903) was the daughter of a Guard General of the

water and forestry authorities in Pont-Noir in the Jura region. In 1861, she married

William (1795-1879), an annuitant widower from a first marriage with whom she had

two children: Edgar and William.

Rosemonde was born in 1866 from an extra-marital relationship with Count Maurice

Gérard (1819-1880). She was officially born “to unknown father and mother”. Her

father recognized her in 1868 and bequeathed his fortune to her when he died. Her

mother pretended to be her tutor.

Mme Lee would attend literary fairs with her daughter. Rosemonde met the poet Leconte de l’Isle who wrote

to her saying, “Your verses which I love, oh Rosemonde, are pure and fresh, tender and gentle; Nothing on

Earth is more adorable, if it is not you”. Maurice de Féraudy from the Comédie-Française, gave her elocution

lessons. The composer Jules Massenet gave her a piano which is in the Great Hall in Arnaga today.

Rosemonde and her mother adored each other tremendously. When her grandchildren were born, Mme Lee

moved in with her daughter’s family. Her correspondence revealed her caring nature. She tried to relieve her

daughter: “Prolong your stay, it will be for Edmond and for you too. Let them retain you, I am delighted to

know that you are admired and loved the way you deserve it. We adore you.” Mme Lee followed the family

to Cambo where she died on 11th November 1903 in Cambo-les-Bains at the age of 70. It took Rosemonde

several years to recover from her loss.

Nounou avec Maurice et Jean

Miss Day

The Guest Bedroom This bedroom was for relatives and visiting guests. This is where Eugène Rostand died

in 1915. Madame Poincaré, the French President's wife and Rosemonde’s friend, stayed

here in the autumn of 1913.

The room is decorated with Toiles de Jouy fabrics which have been severely damaged. In a

cupboard there is a small space for washing.

Thanks to a major donation by the architect’s family, the room displays the construction process of the house by Edmond Rostand and Joseph-Albert Tournaire.

The architect of Arnaga

Joseph-Albert Tournaire (1862-1958) was a renowned architect who entered the Beaux Arts in Paris in

1879. In 1888, he won the Grand Prix de Rome and became a resident of the Villa Medici for four years. He

participated in excavations of the Delphi sanctuary and carried out surveys and graphic reconstructions ...

Subsequently, he led a brilliant career as an official architect for the City of Paris and as a teacher at the

Paris Beaux Arts School.

Appointed chief architect of the colonial exhibition in 1931, he supervised the work.

Among his most important achievements are the Pasteur Hospital in Nice, the Salon Aviation School, the

Paris Medico-legal Institute, the Ephrussi Villa in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat ...

Tournaire was recommended by Eugène Rostand, president of the Caisse d'Epargne

des Bouche-du-Rhône bank, who has just chosen this architect to build the new Hôtel

de la Caisse d'Epargne in Marseille.

Portrait of architect Joseph-Albert Tournaire in his Académie Française attire by Georges Lavergne in 1932. Oil on canvas.

Main exhibits Bust of Albert Tournaire by Louis Convers in 1892.

In the cupboard: a copy of L’Aiglon with an inscription for Tournaire. An autographed compass given to Albert Tournaire by Edmond Rostand. Portfolio belonging to Edmond Rostand. Journal with the signatures of the people who came to inquire about Rostand’s health in Paris, when he was seriously ill in April 1900.

Letters and drawings by Edmond Rostand. For conservation reasons the documents exhibited are reproductions. Observe the drawing of the grand staircase the way it was built and the angel’s head on the pillar, from which a jet of water would flow. The current staircase was rebuilt by the following owners.

Arnaga at the “Belle Epoque” exhibition: Arnaga, a common purpose

For the Rostands, the Belle-Epoque was the period when they finally settled in the Basque Country with the

construction of Villa Arnaga. Like many bourgeois minds at the time, open to progress and invention, the

Rostands turned to new ideas and innovation. They called upon the services of Joseph-Albert Tournaire, an

architect working for the City of Paris, to build their dream. The Villa and gardens reflect the boldness of the

architect who managed to beautifully mix several styles. Technical innovations from the industrial revolution

were magnified in the home while remaining discreet: the electrical, telephone, water and heating systems

remain invisible.

A Villa was originally an estate from the Roman, Merovingian or Carolingian period. Its contemporary

significance was a total creation of the 19th Century, designating a large home near a town. It was symbolic

of the rising importance of the bourgeoisie for whom a villa was a less expensive alternative to a private

home in the city, and more attractive than a building.

Until 1850, the difference between a large rural or suburban villa and a castle was minimal, the owners being

the same people. In the second half of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century, the period

when the Rostands had Arnaga built, villas were defined as a reduced castle which took some of the

characteristics while making them smaller or deforming them. Edmond Rostand imagined and designed

many of the architectural features himself finding inspiration during his trips in the Basque Country and in

the North of Spain. The Museum has some of the sketches that the poet produced and which were used by

Joseph Tournaire. This eclecticism can be found in several rooms in the Villa: the classic style of the dining-

room, the Empire style of the study, the Oriental style of the smoking-room and Rosemonde’s wardrobe,

Arts and Crafts in the children’s studio, Moorish inspiration in the openings to the boudoir…

The sensitivity of both poets can be found in the interior layout and the gardens.

Raymond Lerouge, tutor to the Rostand children, reflected this in an anecdote:

“After lunch, one of (Edmond Rostand’s) favourite pastimes was to find new ways

of setting out the furniture. It was a game to him and he liked us to play with him.

How often did we find ourselves rolling armchairs together, pulling back rugs,

deploying curtains, hanging and unhooking paintings... Indeed, the poet took this

opportunity also to get some physical exercise.” (“Edmond Rostand intime” in the

Revue des Deux mondes magazine published on 1st April, 1930).

The Small Guest Bedroom This room is identified on the plans as the laundry room. Today it is used to present

fragile documents.

Arnaga at the Belle Epoque exhibition: literary friendships

Apart from his doctor who introduced him to Cambo-les-Bains, and his secretary and biographer, many famous

people gravitated around Edmond Rostand. Correspondence kept in the museum illustrates these interesting

friendly intellectual exchanges.

Léon Blum

Before becoming a famous politician during the Front Popular period, Léon Blum was

a drama critic for several magazines. In 1912, he told Edmond Rostand about an

incident which opposed him to author Pierre Veber, who was incidentally the brother

of Jean Veber, the painter who painted the fairy tale frieze in Rosemonde Gérard’s

boudoir. On the 9th October, Léon Blum was attending the dress rehearsal of “Une loge

pour Faust”, by Pierre Veber. The two men knew each other extremely well. They had

both worked together a few years previously, for La Revue blanche, an avant-garde

literary publication. Since then, they had fallen out. Veber had not experienced Blum’s

reviewing on one of his plays yet. Tristan Bernard, Veber’s brother-in-law and a good

friend of Blum, made up his mind to reconcile them. This playwright therefore pleaded

with his dear friend Blum to make an effort by coming to see Faust. Veber, showing little recognition, slapped the

rude man in the face. Blum felt offended and sent him his witnesses. On 14th October at 11 a.m at the Parc-des-

Prince cycle track, the two men fought in a fencing duel. A slight injury to Pierre Veber put an end to the combat.

The duel was filmed and is now presented in this room.

Jules Renard

In 1895, Renard became friends with Edmond Rostand; a difficult friendship with

mixed feelings of envy which, even if they did not alter his admiration for Cyrano,

revealed themselves gradually in the bitter tone of his letters. In a passage in his

Journal, he tells about the first representation; he immediately detected a

masterpiece. But his enthusiasm also reveals some literary sadness: that of not

having been able to have done as well as Rostand.

Raymond Poincaré

In October 1913, Raymond Poincaré, recently elected President of

the Republic, stopped in the Basque Country before an official trip to Spain. In the company of

his wife, they stayed at the Rostands’ home in Arnaga. Whilst the President was crossing the

Pyrenees alone, Mme Poincaré stayed with the poet couple. She was given the most beautiful

bedroom, since then named the “President’s bedroom”, even if Mr. Poincaré had only spent

one night in it. The children in schools in Cambo came to give flowers to the First Lady and recited

a compliment to her in the garden, brought to life by the water jets. Mrs Poincaré came back to

Arnaga in 1929 at the time when the estate belonged to the Souza-Costa family.

Commenté [B4]: rio

Pierre Loti

Pierre Loti met Edmond Rostand in Arnaga thanks to Paul Faure in 1912. “The dinner was

very joyful. The hall, the library, the lobby, the drawing-room were full of flowers and lights.

(…) Choirs which Rostand had set up on the terrace, which the dining-room led out to,

suddenly sang some old Basque melodies. Loti, who was talking about India and his

admiration for Kipling, stopped speaking to listen to these songs from the past which he

adored.” (Paul Faure)

Jean Cocteau

Contacted by Jean Cocteau to publish his poems in 1909, Maurice started to work with him in publishing the

magazine Schéhérazade, for which six issues were released from November 1909 to March 1911. During the

summer of 1909, he was in the Basque Country, staying in the famous Hotel Colbert in the spa town. At the end

of September 1912, Jean Cocteau and Edmond Rostand fell out following an embarrassing family situation. For

his last night spent in Cambo, Jean Cocteau organized a drinks party for Maurice in the Arnaga gardens. The event

could have been exposed but Edmond Rostand managed to keep it quiet while demanding

that his son were no longer to see Jean Cocteau. Of course, there was then no question of

prefacing the poetry book of the young author. La Danse de Sophocle was published without

the sought after patronage of Edmond Rostand. Of Cocteau’s visits to Arnaga, two curious

drawings remain. One, at least, can be seen in the Arnaga Museum: a sketch of Rostand, by

Cocteau, whose sharp face is adorned with a small fine bull-fighter’s moustache.

Henri Barbusse

The author of Feu, a friend of the Rostand couple, kept up a lot of correspondence with

Edmond Rostand. In the letters which are presented, he thanked Edmond and

Rosemonde Rostand for their condolences after the death of his step-father Catulle

Mendès in February 1909. Both authors were published by the editor Lafitte, whom

Barbusse left in 1914 after informing Edmond Rostand. After that, Barbusse asked the

poet what he thought of l’Enfer for the Gil Blas publication, “an opinion which was to give

(him) the moral prestige which is the only thing he was looking for”. Finally, in a more

personal way, Henri Barbusse asked Edmond Rostand for a loan of 500 francs for his wife

who was suffering from lung congestion in August 1914.

Edmond Rostand had more formal correspondence with literary and political figures as shown in his writing with

Emile Zola, Alphonse Allais and Edouard Herriot.

In the showcases: Young authors often requested Edmond Rostand to promote their work. His literary

generosity took the form of poetic prefaces in which he praised the talent of these young writers.

The Guests’ Landing

The electric panel on the first floor gives an idea of the extraordinary modernity of this house. The basement still has its original electric panels, batteries, water-heaters. Only the boilers, which used to send hot air into each room, disappeared, perhaps dismounted in 1913 and were replaced with electric heating. Four independent electrical circuits enabled the household equipment to work: a continuous current circuit for telephones and another for the call board bells, a 110 volt three-phase network for lighting and a 220 volt three-phase network for electric heating. Everything was invisible. This represented miles of wires concealed in wooden-panelling.

Arnaga at the Belle Epoque exhibition: Anna de Noailles Anna Elisabeth de Brancovan, countess of Noailles (1876-1933): “Those who never met her, will never realize just how far you can express the power of language in poetry, profoundness, humour. And when I mention how prodigious her eloquence was, if that’s what we call life at its purest state which explodes in words, I am thinking less of those voluntary demonstrations where she entertained. She called that “faire feu de quatre pieds” (“to give it all). Jean Rostand.

Countess Anna de Noailles came to stay at Arnaga on numerous occasions.

From a well-known Romanian family, she imposed herself as being one of

the most brilliant figures in the literary world at the start of the 20th Century.

Since childhood, Anna had written poetry and was interested in decadent poets and in scientism

(Renan, Zola, Camille Flammarion, and Sully Prudhomme).

After her marriage to Mathieu de Noailles, she published Cœur Innombrable (1901) which was very successful. At the age of 25, Anna became famous. Through her poetry celebrating nature and childhood places, she became “the garden muse” in the public’s eye. Proust in particular showed his admiration for her which he never disclaimed. An activist, she called herself a socialist but in particular a feminist. In 1904, she was the president of the jury for the Femina award, the “Happy Life” prize. This committee, of which Rosemonde Gérard was a member, honoured French poetry.

During the First World War, her husband was conscripted and Anna went to Arnaga with the Rostands then returned to Paris. In 1921, it was time for honours: she was given the Legion of Honour and elected to the Royal Academy of Belgium. She also received the Grand Prix for literature awarded by the Académie Française.

She started painting in 1926 and exhibited the following year in June: it was a success. Her style totally ignored modern painting, her inspiration stopped at Manet (who had died in 1883). In January 1931, she was the first woman to be made Commander of the Legion of Honour before passing away two years later.

Edmond Rostand’s Small Bedroom

After having tried almost all the rooms, Edmond Rostand chose these small rooms as his bedroom and workplace. His confidant, Paul Faure tells “In a rush to finish Chantecler, he inaugurated a work system which suited him so well that he totally adopted it. He no longer worked several hours a day, sitting at his desk, as he had done until then. He would lock himself in his room and, lying in bed, he would write with his papers on his knees, working all day long, from eleven in the morning to six p.m. without wanting any distractions whatsoever during these seven hours”.

The creation of Arnaga “My father’s success is unimaginable today. It is no longer conceivable how famous he was. It was a kind of fetishism”, Jean Rostand wrote. It was to get away from it all that Edmond Rostand settled in Cambo-les-Bains. Thanks to the fortune he acquired with Cyrano, he built the house of his dreams. For the outside of the villa, he was inspired by traditional white-washed Basque farmhouses, with their red timber framing and roofs with two unequal sides. He treated the inside like a sumptuous theatre set. Around this vast house, Edmond Rostand created a series of gardens on more than 37 acres of land. To the east, he planted a French style garden with ponds, reflecting pools and a pergola. To the west, he designed an English-style garden with greenery and rock shapes. The construction of Arnaga was surprisingly fast. It only took 3 years, from 1903 to 1906 for the ideas to turn into stone. Edmond Rostand requisitioned architect Albert Tournaire from Nice. He obtained everyting he needed to make the Master’s dream come true. The architect managed an army of workers to level the ground, bring soil for flower beds and transplant 30 year old trees. Great quantities of materials were shipped from Bordeaux, Paris, Toulouse and even England. Edmond Rostand and his wife Rosemonde Gérard ordered theatre sets from famous artists. The furniture was carefully made right down to the finest details. The Arnaga estate symbolizes alone the two facets of the man. His grandeur and magnificence are displayed in the French garden and the reception rooms. And we can get a glimpse of his modesty and simplicity in the English garden and the rooms in which he lived.

Jean Rostand speaking about Arnaga: “All of this, even today, surprises and baffles me. There is such a great degree of dissonance between this splendour and the profound simplicity of my father (…). The life that my father led in Cambo was as simple as it can be. It was almost as austere as a monastery life. He enjoyed solitude”. The name Arnaga was given to the Villa by Edmond Rostand. He named it after the stream which flows further down from the Villa, named Arraga and he made the sound softer by changing one letter.

Main artwork

Portrait of Edmond Rostand by Eugène Pascau for the poet’s mother. Edmond Rostand by Antoon Van Wélie. “To Mrs Edmond Rostand, a respectful tribute.” View of the garden with the round pond

– and the water feature at that time – the orangery on the left and a female silhouette with a parasol. Oil on canvas attributed to Gaston La Touche.

Wicker furniture. Dryad furniture, Leicester, England. These objects appear in photographs from 1919.

In the showcase: Chantecler fan painted by Edmond Rostand and signed for Alice Barthou, the wife of Louis Barthou, politician and friend of the Rostands, (1862-1934). Exhibited with Edmond Rostand’s painting material.

In the showcase: The Legion of Honour diploma bestowed to Rostand in 1900, Knight of the Legion of honour medal in gold and silver, silver medal of Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honour, medal of Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honour, silver medal from the Académie Française Toirac Prize – Rostand in 1895 representing Athena’s profile, medal from the Comédie-Française, silver and bronze medal representing Edmond Rostand’s profile in his Academy attire, medal of Commander of the Saint Stanislas Order. Excerpts from newspapers reproducing Edmond Rostand’s speech during his election to the Académie Française on 24th June 1903 and the sonnet Fabre des Insectes printed in 1911 and dedicated to entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre. Series of postcards from the Chantecler play. Burlesque postcard of Molynk. "It’s so hard". Rostand took almost 10 years to create Chantecler. In 1909, the press and illustrators started to show signs of impatience.

Chantecler In 1910 Edmond Rostand created “Chantecler”, a play in four acts. It tells of the daily life of animals in a farmyard. The rooster Chantecler in his naïve arrogance believes that he makes the sun rise. By avoiding his enemies’ traps and losing his illusions, he

finally finds wisdom by limiting himself to reign over his hen coop.

Model by Amable Model by Jambon Model by Clarkson

Rostand demanded realistic stage sets. Decorator Amable created the one for the 1st Act, a farmyard. To be at the scale of the animals, the dimensions of the elements of the set were multiplied by 5. A chair was therefore 2.75 metres high. In a letter addressed to Jean Coquelin, Edmond Rostand explained “that the rooster must have above his head what we consider to be low in ordinary life. In a word, in the foreground, trees must be plants. I put a bouquet of blurred sunflowers into the friezes: this will give the impression that everything is magnified. And these enormous gigantic flowers, will give a superb original effect”. Alfredo Eidel is an Italian costume designer, who was born in Parma in 1856 and died in Boulogne in 1912. He signed his sketches “Eidel”. In 1904, he was in Chicago when Edmond Rostand contacted him and asked him to design the costumes for the play which he had just finished writing, Chantecler. After years in Paris and abroad, he had a great reputation.

In 1908, he came to Cambo to the poet’s home in order to start the preliminary steps of staging. For several days, Eidel listened attentively and in wonder to the poet who shared his staging ideas with him in quick sketches.

Back in Paris, Eidel made 200 sketches through which he tried to bring a farmyard to life. Delighted by the designer’s work, Edmond Rostand declared: “Eidel’s drawings idealize my work”.

The Edmond Rostand museum owns 36 preparatory drawings donated by Maurice Lehmann in 1969.

Creation of the costumes was entrusted to Willy Clarkson, a famous wig maker and costume designer on the London scene. But the theatre directors considered this to be too costly and cancelled the contract. The costumes were finally made in the Porte Saint Martin’s workshops.

By-products of Rostand’s work

Edmond Rostand’s plays inspired the production of an impressive number of tasteful and sometimes less tasteful by-products, objects, brands and names of places.

These commercial practices were not just Edmond Rostand’s. They were generalized in the mid-19th century with the economic boom linked to the industrial revolution. Merchants needed to conquer new markets, railway connections enabled tourism to develop, and the media discovered the power of images. Edmond Rostand found himself caught up in this maelstrom. Even today, we do not know if it was voluntary or whether he was just overwhelmed by the tidal wave of communication. Whatever happened, he found himself in ads, and his plays and heroes become the names of brands, objects, villas, restaurants…

Sculpture offered to Edmond Rostand by the teachers and peers of the school he

attended in Paris, Collège Stanislas on the occasion of the special matinee performance of Cyrano de Bergerac on March 3rd, 1898.

Some remarkable objects

Chantecler was particularly popular. There are countless objects featuring the famous rooster, from Brandy to Camembert, and pepper, razors, biscuit tins, medals, motor oil… Women wore hats covered with hen or pheasant feathers. Later, during the war, Chantecler, symbol of courage and the sense of duty, was to become a popular mascot with soldiers on the front lines.

Water jug made for the 1910 performance to resemble Mrs. Simone who played the pheasant. Pocket emptier in porcelain. Made by Heubach, in Lichte, Thuringe. Letter opener “offered to Edmond Rostand by “Those of Chantecler”, souvenir of Verdun Medal mould Chantecler and l’Aiglon. Chantecler in a suit by Georges Barthélémy Bouchon in bronze for Chantecler motor oils.

Main artwork

Film by Sacha Guitry about Edmond Rostand in which he recalls the poem entitled La Cathédrale. This poem written in 1914 about the cathedral in Reims is exhibited near the window.

The Small Bathroom

The final years of Edmond Rostand’s life

At the beginning of the war in 1914, Rostand wanted to enrol but he was declared inapt. So he started visiting military hospitals, writing letters, supporting soldiers. To him all these young people are the Cadets de Gascogne. His personal pain was to join the nation's troubles: he lost his father in 1915 and then his mother eighteen months later.

The couple split up. From 1911-12, Rosemonde had a passionate affair with the young composer, Tiarko Richepin, with whom she was to live for 20 years. Maurice lived with his mother, Jean with his father. From December 1915, a young actress came into Rostand's life. Her name was Mary Marquet. Mary Marquet gained celebrity in l’Aiglon. She became Rostand's companion until he died in December 1918.

Edmond Rostand came to spend the end of summer 1918 at Arnaga, in Mary’s company. At the end of September, he invited his friends Pierre Decourcelle, Marthe Davelli. These are the last photos of him at Arnaga.

The end of the war approached. Rostand wanted to attend the victory celebrations. He arrived in Paris on the 11th November, two hours after capitulation, and shared the joy of the crowds all day. Shortly after, he caught the Spanish flu and died on 2nd December 1918.

With the end of the war, the poet disappeared as if he had written it in a notebook:

I only want to see Victory Don’t ask me: “after?” After, I don’t mind the dark of night And sleep under the cypress trees. I have no more joy to pursue And nothing more to suffer, Vanquished, I could no longer live, And victorious, one can die…

Main artwork

The white porcelain statue of the rooster Chantecler portrayed on a sheaf of wheat was given by Constant Coquelin to Edmond Rostand.

Mary Marquet

Chantecler’s posterity After the death of the poet in 1918, Chantecler was staged in 1928 at the Porte Saint Martin

theatre with costumes by René-Marie Castaing, resident at the Villa Medici.

In 1976, the play was filmed on stage for television, with Jean Piat and Christiane Minazzoli

staged by Jean-Christophe Averty.

In 1986, Jean-Luc Tardieu adapted the play and staged it in Espace 44 in Nantes, with

costumes by Christian Lacroix.

In 1992, Jean-Paul Lucet staged Chantecler in the Théâtre

antique de Fourvière in Lyon. The costumes were by Daniel

Ogier.

In 1994, Jérôme Savary adapted the play at the Théâtre National de

Chaillot with Jean-Claude Dreyfus playing Chantecler and Agnès Soral as

the Pheasant.

In 1999, the play was staged at Arnaga by the Théâtre Job in the context of a drama festival

organized by the Accords organization. It was directed Georges Berdot. Les costumes were

made by Odile Béranger.