Jacqueline Rivière facts for kids

Jacqueline Rivière (1851-1920) was a French writer and editor. She was also known for creating the popular comic strip Bécassine. Her real name was Jeanne Josephine Spallarossa. She was born on May 8, 1851, in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France. Before using "Jacqueline Rivière," she wrote under names like Bernard La Roche. She started using "Jacqueline Rivière" in 1902. This is the name she is best remembered by today.

Jacqueline Rivière's Early Life

Jeanne Josephine's father was Jean Baptiste Spallarossa. He was an officer from Bastia, Corsica. He received the Legion of Honour, a special French award. Her mother was Elisabeth Marie Martine de Gilbert de Merlhiac. They married in 1848.

Jeanne Josephine had four brothers and sisters. Her father passed away in 1863. On June 7, 1887, she married Alexandre Bernhardt in Vincennes, France. He was a civil engineer. They had a daughter named Suzanne, born in 1882. Suzanne was five years old when her parents married. Jeanne Josephine and Alexandre divorced in 1899. Their daughter Suzanne also became a writer. She used the names Arlette de Maillane or Suzanne Rivière.

Jacqueline Rivière's Writings

Jacqueline Rivière was a very active writer. She wrote many novels throughout her life. She met a publisher named Henri Gautier. He was starting a new weekly newspaper. It was for young girls from wealthy families. The newspaper was called La Semaine de Suzette (The Week of Suzette). Gautier asked Rivière to be its first editor-in-chief. For this job, she created the famous Bécassine comic series. She also wrote a popular advice column in the newspaper.

Creating the Bécassine Comic

The first issue of La Semaine de Suzette was due on February 2, 1905. The newspaper had an empty page that needed to be filled. The original author for that page had become sick. As editor-in-chief, Rivière quickly needed something to fill the space.

It is believed she quickly wrote a new comic strip. This comic would become very popular. It was about a simple housemaid named Bécassine. Bécassine came to Paris from Brittany, a region in northwestern France. The story was about her helping with dinner preparations.

One story says the character came from a mistake. It was made by the real-life maid of Jacqueline Rivière. In the first comic, Bécassine is told to announce a lobster delivery. She does not know what a lobster is. The lady of the house tells her it is red and to check if it is fresh. Bécassine puts four colonial officers in red uniforms in the kitchen. She tells the lady there are "three little lobsters and one large one." She also says the large one is "not quite fresh!"

Rivière asked a painter, Joseph Pinchon, to draw her first comic. It was called The Mistake of Bécassine. Pinchon drew the young woman with only a tiny dot for a mouth. Readers loved the weekly adventures of this little Breton girl. She traveled to Paris to find work. She became a comic book hero. According to Yves Frémion, Rivière was "the first screenwriter of French comics."

However, the artist Joseph Pinchon quickly took over the character. Other male artists joined him. For a long time, only the male artists were given credit for Bécassine.

Writing the Advice Column

Besides the comic, Rivière also started a popular advice column. It appeared weekly in La Semaine de Suzette. She signed it "Tante Jacqueline" (Aunt Jacqueline). In this column, Rivière answered questions from readers. Her advice often told young girls to be polite and obedient. This was common advice for young ladies at that time. The Tante Jacqueline column was very popular. Many editors continued it for decades after Rivière stopped writing it. The newspaper La Semaine de Suzette was printed from 1905 to 1960.

Jacqueline Rivière as a Novelist

Jacqueline Rivière wrote 15 novels. She used the names Bernard La Roche or Bernard de Laroche. These were published from 1878 to 1900. After her divorce in 1899, she used the name Jacqueline Rivière. Her later novels were published from 1902 to 1920. People say she worked until her sudden death.

Many publishers have reprinted her early novels. They often change the original pen name to Jacqueline Rivière. This makes it easier for readers to know it's her work.

Jacqueline Rivière's Death

Jacqueline Rivière died on February 20, 1920, in Paris. She was 68 years old. La Semaine de Suzette published a long obituary for her. They called her "Mme. B. De Laroche."

The French Postal Service honored Bécassine in April 2005. They issued a stamp with the character's picture. This was 100 years after Bécassine's first adventure. The postal service printed over 27 million copies of the stamp.

Selected Works by Jacqueline Rivière

Many of Jacqueline Rivière's books can be found at WorldCat. Her books were published under different pen names. Her first publisher in Paris was Henri Gautier. This company later merged and was bought by Hachette.

• Paris héroïque (Heroic Paris), by Bernard de Laroche. 1886.
• Les Femmes malheureuses (Unhappy Women) by Raoul de Navery and Bernard de Laroche. 1889.
• Béatrice (Beatrice), by Bernard de Laroche. 1900.
• La filleule des abeilles (The Goddaughter of Bees), by Jacqueline Rivière. 1900.
• L'Erreur (The Mistake), by Jacqueline Rivière. 1905.
• La Maison des yeux bleus (The House of Blue Eyes), by Jacqueline Rivière. 1908.
• Le Jouet (The Toy), by Jacqueline Rivière. 1913.
• Le Bois-Chantant (The Singing Wood), by Jacqueline Rivière. 1920.
• Le Hameau du trésor-perdu (The Hamlet of the Lost Treasure), by Jacqueline Rivière. 1920.
• Bonne Maman (Good Mom), by Jacqueline Rivière. 1926.
• Le Piège (The Trap), by Jacqueline Rivière. 1926.