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HERITAGE

FACING PAGE Costume for Monsieur Jourdain in Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme © I. Benoist/Comédie Française THIS PAGE Set design for Les Caprices de Marianne © P. Lorette/Comédie Française Model of interior design

for the Train Bleu’s Pullman car © Studio Y. Langlois/Musée Lalique

for her husband’s uncle, Theodore Haviland, but life in Limoges had little appeal for her. By chance, René Lalique came to the rescue, offering his son-in-law a position at his company with the understanding that the young couple would return to Paris to live in the large mansion on Cours la Reine, by then known as Cours Albert-I er . It was during this period that Suzanne turned to painting in earnest, with a preference for still lifes and portraits, wonderful vehicles for her powers of observation and her great sensitivity. When he took up his post at Lalique, Paul brought along his large collection of Mexican ceramics, which fascinated Suzanne, who drew upon this new source of inspiration for certain pieces, in particular the series of vases mentioned above. Her style became increasingly minimalist and modern. She continued to exhibit regularly at the Salon d’Automne and the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, where she always met with great success. Her creations for Lalique, Haviland and the Manufacture de Sèvres were presented at the 1925 Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs and their illustrations were even featured in the press.

Suzanne was enjoying a brilliant career as an artist and René Lalique could not have been more proud. Many suitors asked for her hand in marriage, but her father refused them all – no one was good enough for his daughter. At last, in 1916 she met Paul Burty Haviland, a young American from a good family whose relatives were established in Limoges, where they owned two porcelain factories. Paul was a photographer and collector with a reputation as a lover of beauty. They decided to get married and Suzanne broached the subject with her father. To her great surprise, he approved. In order to apply for the marriage licence Suzanne had to request her birth certificate, which was how she learned that her surname was Ledru, not Lalique. The couple married in 1917 and moved to Limoges, where Paul hoped to rekindle relations with his estranged family. From this marriage were born Nicole and her brother Jack. Suzanne began working

SUZANNE’S SCENIC CAREER BEGAN IN 1939 WHEN SHE TOOK OVER THE DIRECTION OF THE COSTUME AND SET DESIGN WORKSHOPS FOR THE COMÉDIE FRANÇAISE.

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