One of the most famous Jews in nineteenth-century France, the actress Rachel was celebrated for her unparalleled talent and is often credited with reviving the classical French tragedies of Racine and Corneille in the era of Romanticism.

Eugénie Foa was born Rebecca Eugénie Rodrigues Henriquès in Bordeaux, France on June 12, 1796 and died in Paris in 1852. Foa was the first professional Jewish woman author, supporting herself entirely from her writings. She wrote children’s books, novels and short stories in the Romantic genre of her day, some of which treated Jewish subjects.