Above: This poster of Rachel by Pierre Segogny is a mystery. It is dated 1923 although this must be wrong. See notes for discussion. Presumably the blank spaces could be overprinted with performance information as needed.
Source: Swann Auction Galleries. This original's estimated value is $3,000 to $4,000 (US). Modern reproductions are available for sale on the web.
Above: Cirque d'Hiver program for January 11, 1933. The same ad ran from January 8 to February 17, 1933.
Source: Comoedia, January 11, 1933, p. 5. National Library of France (via Gallica).
Above: Poster (circa 1945) for the Desprez brothers, "Creators of the Perilous Automobile Double Jump." André and Marcel Desprez performed this stunt from the 1920s to the 1940s.
Source: Poster Auctions International, Inc. This original poster sold for $3,849 (U.S.)
13. Cirque d'Hiver, 1933
Rachel seems to have been two different people. One was the private Rachel who was tormented by heartbreak and suicidal impulses while the other was a public Rachel who was celebrated for her accomplishments.
The private Rachel occasionally eclipsed the public Rachel, as in her two theatrical extravaganzas and in rare confessional interviews, but otherwise the public Rachel carried on with her life as she had always done and she remained the focus of generally benign press attention.
For nearly a month and a half, from January 8 to February 17, 1933, the Cirque d'Hiver ran ads in the show business newspaper Comoedia advertising Rachel's appearance as "la grande écuyère" ("the great horsewoman").
Rachel's billing was much improved. In 1925 she had been at or near the bottom of the bill at the Empire Music Hall, but now at the Cirque d'Hiver she ranked third behind Grock, the internationally celebrated "King of Clowns" and the daredevil Desprez brothers with their somersaulting "car of death." Rachel was billed ahead of her more direct competition, two other horse acts performed by Arthur Konyot and Rancy.
However, at the end of January Rachel cut short her engagement at the circus and left on horseback for Monte Carlo. She made no secret of her destination even though she was supposedly banned from entering Monaco. Despite her departure the Cirque d'Hiver continued to run the same ad in Comoedia until February 17.
Rachel may have been stung by her reviews which were no kinder than they had been in 1925. The problem once again may have been that formal dressage did not fit well with music hall or circus expectations:
"Miss Rachel Dorange's appearance is strictly in line with the posters adorning the walls of Paris: certainly the wearing of a black silk leotard – very 'hotel mouse' – does not disappoint lovers of a seductive figure, but it can be said that this act also gives full satisfaction to enthusiasts of classical dressage.... What a joy, on the other hand, to applaud the wonderful triple dressage work of the Severa family!" (L'Oeuvre).
"Rachel Dorange... would have been better off not appearing on stage. I don't want to cause this charming young lady any pain, however slight. But we would have preferred to see her leave for Japan with her hobbyhorse than to present us with such an unpolished act. (Monde. It is only fair to say that this particular critic hated the whole Cirque d'Hiver, not just Rachel.)
Rachel left Paris on an unnamed horse but the trip ended at Charmoy, 157 kilometers southeast of Paris because "Her horse, which stumbles at every step and has a bloody mouth, is unable to continue the journey. It may be necessary to put him down.
"Mlle Dorange has decided to take the express train to Monte Carlo tonight from Laroche" Did Rachel hurry to Monte Carlo because she hoped to rekindle her romance with Dr. Jean? Or was she simply trying to escape a Paris winter with a vacation in the south of France? Over the years she would make this trip several times.
However, this particular trip resulted in a rare instance of bad press when Rachel was accused of cruelty to her horse.
A week after the Charmoy news report L'Humanité published a protest from columnist named Jean-Claude:
"Rachel Dorange may be a grand lady. For my part, I know nothing of her activities. I only know what this [Charmoy] dispatch tells me about her. That's not much, though. I do know, however, that she killed a horse in an adventure as stupid as it was pointless.
"And if I've waited so long to report this, it's because I wanted to see the reaction of the Animal Protection League to this feat. I don't believe the League has raised the slightest protest. Yet, didn't they, the good-natured League, have a unique opportunity to speak out?
"It seems the author of this glorious exploit belongs to a taboo world, the same world as those patronizing ladies of the League. It all makes sense now:
"When these good people are 'having fun' like Rachel Dorange, we remain silent. Just as we remain silent about their daily 'amusements,' which amount to the exploitation of the proletariat, that other animal, unworthy of compassion." We don't know if this protest had any repercussions for Rachel, and we have no independent reports of what happened in Monte Carlo.