Marie Genevieve Van Goethem was born in paris on june 7th, 1865. She was the daughter of a laundress and a tailor. She was the middle daughter of three girls, Antoinette and Louis-Josephine.
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Marie grew up in montmarte, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, and also one rife with prostitution.
a drawing of marie by edgar degas
Van Goethem joined the Paris Opera Ballet in 1878 with her younger sister. Antoinette Van Goethem was also a dancer there and was the first to model for Degas. However, she went on to become a prostitute and a petty thief. According to Camille Laurens' book Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, she "eventually served time in the Saint-Lazare prison for women." Her younger sister was selected for the corps de ballet and later went on to become a very successful dance teacher.
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Marie began posing for Edgar Degas soon after her debut at the ballet. It is thought that she likely had two, or even three, other jobs. As a result of her work with Degas, Marie was soon fired from the ballet for being late to class nearly fifteen times. It is assumed that she might have turned to prostitution.
Today, nobody knows where she is buried.
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Source(s):
Laurens, Camille. "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen." Les Fugitives, 2018.
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