First performed at the Théâtre Édouard VII on October 1, 1928, Mariette is a reworking of Comment on écrit l’histoire, a play in two acts composed by Sacha Guitry for a single performance at the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt on December 4, 1920, as part of the Gala Noblet. In its original version, Yvonne Printemps shared the role of Mariette with Sarah Bernhardt, who played the scenes in which the character appears aged, while Guitry played Napoleon alongside his father, Lucien Guitry, who took the role of King Jérôme.
The photographs are the work of the son of the celebrated Polish photographer Stanisław Julian Ostroróg (1836–1890), who made his career between London and Paris under the name Waléry, creating a genuine trademark. Stanisław Julian Ignacy (1863–1929) took over the studio on his father’s death in 1890 and went into partnership with Charles Auguste Varsavaux.