Blanche Deschamps-Jehin by Nadar

Blanche Deschamps-Jehin (1857-1923); French contralto.
She studied singing in Lyon and Paris and in 1874 she sang at the Alhambra Theater in Brussels in the operetta "Giroflé-Girofla" by Lecocq. She made her professional opera début in 1879 in the title role of Ambroise Thomas' "Mignon" at La Monnaie in Brussels. Here she created in 1881 the title role in the world premiere of Massenet's Hérodiade and in 1884 the role of Uta in the premiere of Reyer’s "Sigurd". In the mid-1880s she was engaged at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, singing there for more than a decade. While there she notably portrayed Margared in the premiere of Lalo's "Le roi d'Ys" (1888), Madame de la Haltière in the premiere of Massenet’s Cendrillon (1899) and the Mother in the premiere of Charpentier's "Louise" (1900). She also occasionally performed at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo where she sang the title role in the first performance of César Franck’s "Hulda" (1894) and created the Baroness in the world premiere of Massenet’s "Chérubin" (1905). In 1891 she made her first appearance at the Paris Opéra as Léonor de Guzman in Donizetti's "La favorite". Here she created in 1897 the role of Véronique in the first performance of Alfred Bruneau’s "Messidor".

On the photo she is seen in her creator role of Véronique in "Messidor".