What is "vivandiere"

Vivandiere \Vi`van`di[`e]re"\, n. [F. See Viand.] In Continental armies, especially in the French army, a woman accompanying a regiment, who sells provisions and liquor to the soldiers; a female sutler.

n. (alternative form of vivandière English)

n. A female vivandier.

Vivandière may refer to:

• Vivandière a generic name for women attached to military regiments
• La Vivandière, a 1844 ballet choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon.
• La Vivandière (Gilbert), an 1867 musical play by W. S. Gilbert

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Vivandière or Cantinière is a French name for women attached to military regiments as sutlers or canteen keepers. Their actual historic function of selling wine to the troops and working in canteens led to the adoption of the name 'cantinière' which came to supplant the original ‘vivandière' starting in 1793, but the use of both terms was common in French until the mid-19th century, and 'vivandière' remained the term of choice in non-French-speaking countries such as the USA/CSA, Spain, Italy, and Great Britain. Vivandières served in the French army up until the beginning of World War I, but the custom (and the name) spread to many other armies. Vivandières also served on both sides in the American Civil War, and in the armies of Spain, Italy, the German states, Switzerland, and various armies in South America, though little is known about the details in most of those cases as historians have not done extensive research on them.