Women

The most important woman in the Dreyfus Affair was undoubtedly Alfred’s wife Lucie Dreyfus. Not only was she a devoted wife; she also played an unrelenting role in bringing her husband’s innocence to light. In 1900, a group of Brazilian women recognized her contributions with a gift that was publicized in the newspaper in Le Siècle.

There were other women of note who did not know Dreyfus personally but who adopted his cause as one of their own. The famous actress Sarah Bernhardt became aware of the Affair through the press and witnessed Dreyfus’s degradation. She publicly supported Zola in his efforts to help Dreyfus, even assisting to disperse an angry crowd in front of his house.

Perhaps the most active of female defenders of Dreyfus (besides Lucie) was Séverine, pseudonym for Caroline Rémy. Séverine was a journalist who wrote for La Fronde, a newspaper staffed and run entirely by women. While at first uncertain of her own opinion of the case, she was convinced by the writings of Bernard Lazare and Emile Zola. She became an ardent Dreyfusard, taking up his cause as one among many in her quest for justice and equality.