Fabienne

In our latest addition to the Memories from a New Century series today, we have a short postcard from Amélie featuring a mysterious woman named Fabienne.

If the name sounds familiar, it's because there is another card about a certain Fabienne, and I believe this card precedes that other one that you can reread there to refresh your memory:

What are we to make of a confession that dares not speak?

What are we to make of a confession that dares not speak, except that your heart is very close to loving me! That’s what the quote under the picture says. And as far as the back side of the postcard is concerned.

Liminal WebDavid Billa

What is this all about?

First, let's read the back of the card. It doesn't tell us much about Fabienne, but I nonetheless find it interesting.

The text roughly says:

Dear Mr. Adrien,
See how I think of you and how pretty my card is. I will reply to you this evening because we’re working all day today, Saturday, so I don’t have much time.
See you tomorrow Sunday. Goodbye and good kisses from your friend who doesn’t forget you.
Amélie

So, as you see, not much content. I still find it interesting, though, because Amélie is basically writing to Adrien to tell him that she’ll write him a longer card later (I assume it's the one linked above), even though she’ll probably send both cards together at a later date. It feels strange nowadays because we just text people instantly, but it makes sense. I remember, in my late teens or early twenties, writing letters to friends who lived far away. I wrote whenever I felt like it or had the time, regardless of when I’d send the letter. Sometimes I'd include two letters in the same envelope. It's probably the same thing here.

Fun fact: I didn’t really like writing before I started writing these letters to my friends. These letters and my friends' reactions to them showed me how great of a medium writing is. Thank you, friends! I'm going to sound like an old guy, but I think it's a shame that young people today have slowly given up on writing as a way to express themselves, replacing it with videos, especially very short ones. Oh well, that's not our topic today.

So... What about this Fabienne!?

From the other postcard, Fabienne seems to be an actress (or perhaps a character), and from the quality of the picture, it could be the woman above.

I tried to find information about a famous Fabienne in France in the 1920s and only found Fabienne Fabrèges. However, she looked nothing like the woman in the picture. However, could she be the woman in the other postcard? They look alike, don't you think? (Tell me what you think in the comments.)

So, who is the woman in this picture above? I'd guess it's Amélie herself (this is what she looked like if you forgot). The mouth and nose look similar, but the eyes don't. However, she's wearing a lot of makeup. After all, in the other postcard, she signs as Fabienne and explains why. Was she "cosplaying" her in this picture? Your guess is as good as mine.

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Until next time.

Best,

David