The life of Juliette Drouet is closely tied to Victor Hugo, but she wasn’t always his mistress. Born in 1806 and the youngest of four kids that along with her siblings became orphans when she was just two years old.
Sent from Fougères in Brittany to Paris to live with uncle René Henri-Drouet who wasn’t prepared for his new role as parent. Off to the convent Juliette went where two of her aunts served as nuns and could help watch over her. Juliette was already a rather headstrong young lady and was a handful and eventually sent back to live with her uncle. Juliette looked back quite fondly on these years when living with Uncle René in Paris and having free reign on the streets of Paris.
In 1822, Juliette was presented to the Archbishop of Paris for a postulant role in the church. She managed to convince him that she wasn’t fit for the post and her days in the church were over. These were the days of the artists and authors in Paris and the beautiful Juliette spent time in the Salons and parties mixing and mingling with them all.
One artist she met when she was 19 years old was James Pradier. Pradier was quickly enamored by her beauty and asked her to model for him. At the same time Pradier was asked to create two of the statues in the Place de la Concorde. The statues over the guardhouses of Lille and Strasbourg fell into the hands of Pradier and he used the lovely Juliette as the face of Strasbourg that can still be seen today close to the Rue de Rivoli.
Their time together quickly turned into an affair resulting in a child. Claire was born and Pradier refused to take responsibility for her but later Claire would spend most of her time growing up with her father. Pradier had given Juliette a taste of the finer things, showering her with clothes and jewelry and when their relationship ended she found a new way to keep her in the lap of luxury.
Juliette’s beautiful head turning looks was garnering the attention of Paris, especially the men. In a way to help fund her shopping sprees, a life as a courtesan and on the stage fit the bill. Not exactly a natural actor, but her looks got the attention of the producers and audience and repeatedly got her roles onstage at the Theatre du Parc de Bruxelle in Paris. In 1833 a small role in Victor Hugo’s Lucretius Borgia would instantly catch the famed writer's attention. Mrs. Hugo, Adele even sent her a note that her husband would love to meet her.
The first six months after they met it stayed very friendly until he couldn’t resist the fiery Juliette who had a reputation as a dominatrix. Toto, as she called Hugo in no time, paid off her debts and rented an apartment for her near his Place des Vosges home on the Rue Sainte-Anastase, but came with a very high cost. Her old ways on stage or as a courtesan had to stop and wasn’t allowed to leave her home without Victor Hugo.
For fifty years, the two stayed together and she served as his secretary and copied each of his books and articles he wrote. Adele was aware of their relationship and even left in her will that her sons look after her in case Victor died before her. Adele had her own relationship with a former close friend of her husband Sainte-Beauve resulting in their somewhat open marriage.
The rules for Juliette were very strict including the need to write him a letter every day, sometimes multiple times a day. However, Hugo had different rules for himself. Many other ladies came in and out of his life including Léonie. Placing an ultimatum on Hugo to end his relationship with Juliette. Hugo refused and broke it off with Léonie, who in turn decided to wrap up all the letters Victor had sent her and to send them onto Juliette. Instead of upsetting her it only drew her closer to him.
Shortly after, Hugo was forced to exile to Brussels and out of the clutches of all the other women. Juliette set up his papers and a place to stay and traveled with him and stayed nearby allowing them to have a somewhat normal relationship. During his exile, Adele died back in Paris in 1868 and upon his return in 1870 Juliette was finally allowed into the doors of the Place des Vosges home and home on the now Avenue Victor Hugo.
After 50 years together, on May 11, 1883 Juliette died of stomach cancer, she was 77 years old. Hugo was destroyed and would die two years later.
