Pierrot visits the marriage broker Marcassin: he wishes to marry a woman with a large dowry, which would allow him to pay off his debts. After questioning him about his preferences, Marcassin recommends Mademoiselle Putiphar, a 45 years old hunchbacked woman with only one eye. He calls his servant Catherine, asks her to go and get Mademoiselle Putiphar, and pretends to leave. Pierrot gropes Catherine and asks her if she wants to be his lover while he will display his future wife in a fairground booth. Catherine agrees, and as they both leave, Marcassin congratulates himself on marrying his daughter. In the second tableau, the messy clothes of Catherine and Pierrot show that they made love. The Commissaire (Superintendent) questions Pierrot and tells him that he has been watching Marcassin for a long time: he opened a marriage agency with the sole intent of marrying his own daughter, Catherine. As Pierrot is caught with Catherine, the Commissaire obliges him to marry her, and weds them with Marcassin’s blessing.

String marionette

Not specified

France

Paris

Manuscript

Money

Marriage agency

Trap

Forced marriage

Dowry

Comical

Théâtre de Guignol, Champs-Élysées, Paris (Le Monde illustré, 27/06/1868)