Blog Post

L’INCONNUE DE LA SEINE

  • by Barry Aucott
  • 10 Aug, 2017

THE UNKNOWN WOMAN OF THE SEINE

Welcome back to the Astra-Antiques Blog!

Today we’re going to do something a little bit different, don’t worry, The Personal Choice #5 is in the works, but today we are going to fully focus on just one item.

This particular item carries with it a rather interesting History, so it is easily worth the effort and worth a read.

The item in question and therefore the history associated to it goes by many names, but it best known as:

L’Inconnue de la Seine –The Unknown Woman of the Seine”

A couple of days ago a Customer brought a rather unusual item into Astra Antiques.

A Plaster Cast Mask that “has a rather interesting Story attached to it”.

This story isn’t anything we had come across before, so it caught our attention and our curiosity.

 

The story, or at least as it is commonly told, takes place in the early 1880’s as a Young Woman’s body is pulled out of the Seine River in France.

This young woman seemingly came out of nowhere. No history to her face, no name to her legend. There were no marks found on her body to suggest any type of Murder or struggle, so the cause of Death has always been linked with Suicide.

 

The Pathologist who worked at the Paris Morgue was so taken by her beauty, her “Mona Lisa Smile” that he had a Wax Plaster Cast Death Mask made of her face.

To this day her identity remains unknown, all that is known about whoever she was, is that she was probably around the age of 16 years old, and suspected of committing suicide by drowning in the Seine River.

That’s the morbid part of the story over and done with. Well, not that replicas of her dead face is a cheery more uplifting topic, but you get the idea.

 

The unknown girl was soon to find a Fame in death, she couldn’t achieve in life as replicas of the Death Mask were produced, becoming quite the popular fixture in Artist’s homes in the early 1900’s.

Apparently her likeness was further popularised when young German girls started to model themselves after her. The Lady of the Seine’s reach didn’t stop there, as it is believed German Actress Elisabeth Bergner was also influenced by her style.

The Story of the unknown woman of the Seine would inspire those around her even more. The story slowly seep its way into various Literature. Not just French literature, but German, English, Russian and American literature.

 

If that wasn’t enough, her Legacy goes further. The Lady of the Seine is also known for having “the most kissed lips”.

To help emergency workers and the general public learn the basics of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), a Doll was to be created to teach such acts.

This doll would become Rescue Anne (Resusci Anne), developed by the Austrian-Czech physician Peter Safar and Norwegian toy maker Asmund Laerdal.

Recue Anne just needed a face, and who better than the likeness of the Lady of the Seine.

Now The Lady of the Seine – the Unknown Woman of the Seine the L’Inconnue de la Seine has a place at Astra Antiques.

You can view her in all her Glory over on our website – Astra-Antiques.com

Or if you’re coming into the centre, just let us know, and we shall happily introduce you.

 

As the person who took the photographs, I can tell you that the mask certainly holds a rather strange Atmosphere about it.

But then, it could be the fact it’s a little bit creepy.

 

Still, that’s the beauty of Antiques and the Antiques World! Nothing is off limits… even faces.

 

Till next time, head on over to our website and make sure to come visit our Centre!

If you would like to join our Mailing List for new content, shoot an e-mail across to – info@astra-antiques.com.

We’d love to hear from you!

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