Antoine Charles Bianchini was born in Lyon, France in 1859. From 1883 to 1905 he served as the principal costume designer for the Paris Opera. He also produced designs for other Paris theaters during this period, including the Opéra-Comique. Bianchini survived multiple poisoning attempts during the 1890s; his wife was convicted and then pardoned for one of them in 1898. His death in 1905, however, was determined to be of natural causes.