The Fashion Inventor of Paris

There are many designers that have shaped fashion in France. However, before there was Dior and Chanel there was Jeanne Lanvin. Lanvin was a designer that paved the way for all the others to come after her but few know her name.  

Jeanne was born on January 1, 1867 in Paris at 35 Rue Mazarine. She was the oldest of eleven children to parents Bernard Lanvin and Sophie Blanche Deshayes. Her mother was a seamstress and taught Jeanne at a very young age how to sew which came in very handy. With eleven mouths to feed, money was tight at the Lanvin home. Jeanne got a job working at a hat shop at the age of 13, where she was a natural fit. In just three years she served as apprentice milliner and in 1889 at 22 years old she opened her own shop in Paris on the Rue Boissy d'Anglas. Her hats were very popular with the Paris elite and she had a long waiting list for her custom hats, long before Coco Chanel ever touched a hat. That same year she created her fashion house which would become the oldest fashion house in the world. 

In 1893 she signed a lease on a larger store at 22 Rue de Faubourg Saint Honoré, where her store remains to this day. While her business was growing she took enough time out to get married. On February 20, 1896 she married Italian Count Emile de Pietro and the next year her greatest inspiration was born. On August 31, 1897 Marguerite Marie Blanche came into the world and changed Jeanne’s life and business. 

From hats she moved onto designing clothes for Marie Blanche. Jeanne creates custom dresses complete with lavish fabrics and embellishments for her daughter and for the “little girls about town”. When the two would walk through Paris they would garner all the attention by passers by including women that wanted the dresses for themselves. So many women begged her for the same designs that she pivoted her business and renamed it Lanvin (Mademoiselle Jeanne) Modes and began producing dresses for the women as well for little ladies. 

In 1909, she expanded the store again, taking up more of the block that included the young lady and women's department where mom and daughter could shop together. Unfortunately her marriage wasn’t as successful and ended with a separation in 1902 and divorce the next year. In 1907 she married again to French journalist Xavier Mélet, but her focus and love was always her daughter and her work, although she kept a very quiet and low profile in the Paris fashion scene. 

In 1918, she took over the entire building and added ten workrooms and a fur department. Always a clever business woman she also set up a system where women could store their fur coats for the summer months. It would get them into the store and would always leave with a few new frocks. After a weekend at the coast and a vacation in the mountains she saw a need for sportswear, long before ol Coco did it. Lanvin designed swimsuits, beach and tennis wear and everything you need for a weekend skiing. Jeanne also created an entire men's department, creating suits and casual fashion and becoming the first designer to dress the entire family. 

On a rare night out, she met decorator Armand Rateau at a Paris party. She was looking to branch out even more and the two began talking and decided to team up. With Armand they would create home goods including furniture, drapes and linens all in her custom colors that she loved. Her eye for colors was so specific in 1922 she opened her own dye factory in Nanterre. Her very specific colors included Lanvin blue she created after seeing the color on a Fra Angelico fresco in Florence in the 1920’s. Other colors included Rose Polignac named for her daughter and Vert Velazquez, but she also loved the chicness of black and used it in her designs frequently. 

Not wanting to follow trends she stayed with her own aesthetic, creating her own look that drew very loyal fans. The bouffant style was falling out of fashion but she stayed with it. The style was perfect for women of all shapes and sizes and they loved her for staying with it. Jeanne also created her own silhouette, the Robe de Style with its fitted bodice and wide skirt, today we also call it the fit and flare. 

In 1924, she decided she wanted her own fragrance. Only designer Paul Poiret had done this before her, long before Coco. Her first fragrance was called My Sin, which became a huge hit in the US. In 1927 as a gift to her daughter on her 30th birthday, her newest fragrance Arpége was released. Marie-Blanche was an accomplished opera singer and musician and when she first smelled the notes of jasmine, honeysuckle and lily of the valley she said “it smelled of the arpeggio notes played in succession on the piano. The fragrances were so popular in 1925 she had a factory built for the production of perfume where she was able to control the entire process.  

 Jeanne was happier staying in her office or at home with her family and reading her vast collection of art and history books. Many of the symbolism she saw in her travels and in books she would bring into her designs. She wasn’t found at salons and parties adding an air of mystery to her. Although she saw an early importance of spreading her brand to the United States. In 1915 when she presented at the International Exhibition in San Francisco which drew her a lot of attention which helped when her perfume debuted nine years later. 

In 1935, the maiden voyage of the SS Normandie was headed to New York. With the French elite trapped on the ship for days, she held a fashion show of her newest season selling out her entire collection. She may have been quiet but she was fierce.  During World War II when other houses closed she kept her workshops and store open employing over 800 people in her twenty-three ateliers. Her employees were her family and they were just as attached to her. 

On July 6, 1946 in her apartment overlooking the Musée Rodin at 16  Rue Barbet, Jeanne Lanvin took her last breath. Her beloved daughter would take over the fashion house and carry on her vision. The business stayed in the family until 1994 when it was purchased by L’Oreal and then sold in 2001 to a private individual. Today her store on Rue Saint Honoré is still there.

Today you can visit the beautiful rooms that she once lived in, now moved into the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Friend and designer Armand Rateau transformed her apartment and it’s many rooms into the perfect expression of Jeanne in her signature colors. You can take in every detail of her boudoir, bedroom and bathroom. Donated to the museum in 1965 when the building she lived in was going to be demolished. The bedroom includes her Lanvin blue curtains that cover the wall. Each one was embroidered with white and light orange thread and copper wire and it is a sight to behold. Move me in now, please. 

Jeanne Lanvin’s name is not one that is as known as so many other designers and she was fine with that. Karl Lagerfeld later criticized her for her low-key persona and Coco Chanel looked at her as one of her greatest rivals. Today everyone thinks it was Coco that pioneered perfume, sportswear, hats and the color black, but just like everything else that many people know about Chanel, it is completely wrong. It is Jeanne Lanvin that we owe so much.

Today it is still the oldest fashion house in the world. Louis Vuitton opened in 1854 and Hermès in 1837, but neither started in fashion. It’s the House of Jeanne that just keeps going. 

Listen to the podcast episode all about her fantastic life.

The Mischievous Artist that captured Paris

The self taught painter that captured the people of Paris was born on this day in 1761. Louis-Leopold Boilly had a way of depicting the streets and gatherings between the Revolution and the Restoration. His first painting was shown at the Salon of 1791 and he quickly garnered the attention of the elite who wanted him to paint their portraits.

His paintings can be found in a small room in the Musée du Louvre but recently a fantastic exhibit dedicated to him was held at the Musée Cognac-Jay that I was thrilled to see. A few things that will catch your eye when it comes to his paintings as there is always a bit of humor, fashion and even a bit of naughtiness. Inspired by Frogonard, his paintings behind closed doors got him in a lot of trouble during the Revolution and was marked for a period as being too offensive and hurt his commissions.

Two of his most popular paintings The Public Viewing of David’s Coronation painted in 1810 after he saw the crowds gathered to see the monumental work and The Reunion d’artistes dans l’Atelier d’Isabey did what he did best, gathering large groups of notable figures. In the Atelier all of the great artists, architects and sculptors of the time are shown overlooking the canvas of Isabey.

He was also a master of tromp l’oeil, an idea rarely used at the time and he always had a little fun with it. A cat that broke through the back of a canvas or a broken glass frame usually comes with a small portrait of the artist himself. In many of his large crowd scenes he added his own face into most of them and it’s your very own 19th century Where’s Waldo.

With a knack for finishing a portrait in 2 hours, the artists is said to have captured over 5,000 faces, His small portraits of the creme de la creme of the time were on hand but even more can be found at the Musée Marmottan Monet all year. They really are amazing to see up close and as a total collection and makes you wonder what story each of these people held.

Be sure to visit his paintings in the Louvre on the 2nd floor of the Sully wing in salle 938, they will quickly become a new favorite.

The Founding Fathers in France

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “The best of America drifts to Paris. The American in Paris is the best American”. Millions of Americans have visited Paris and even some of the founding fathers. Don’t be surprised if you are strolling the cobblestones and run into one of these fellows remembered in bronze. Jefferson, Washington and Franklin all left a lasting impression on Paris and France, now let’s take a walk to find them.

Starting at the Trocadero in front of the fountain venture to the west away from all the tourists and to a peaceful park. Walk to the left along the building and follow the path to the street. There is good ol’ Ben Franklin sitting under a chestnut tree in the Square de Yorktown. A copy of the statue at the University of Philadelphia by John J. Boyle was a gift to Paris in 1906 by American businessman John Harjes. Harjes wanted to honor the bicentennial of the birth of Franklin with a statue placed near the former Minster to France home on Rue Raynouard.

Just a short walk away we are greeted by another American, at our feet on the Avenue President Wilson on the way to find George Washington. Located in the center of a busy street George Washington perched on top of his horse with his arm and sword raised high in the air. On his way to lead a charge into battle or maybe just to the nearest terrace, he stands majestically in the center of Place d’Iena. A gift to Paris from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the bronze statue by Daniel Chester French was inaugurated on July 3, 1900.

A long but beautiful walk towards the left bank at the end of the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor we will meet Thomas Jefferson. Before he was president he served as the American representative to France for 5 years. He loved to walk along the River Seine and admired the Hotel de Salm on the Rive Gauche now home to the Musée de La Legion d'honneur. The dome of the building would inspire him for Monticeelllo where he would duplicate it. Today he stands and looks at the building he loved so much with the design written on the papers he holds.

The End of Marie de Medici

The end of Marie de Medicis life wasn’t so wonderful. After the many disagreements and exiles from her son, King Louis XIII. In 1617, when he finally pulled the crown from her clutches he sent her into exile at the Chateau de Blois. Two years later she escaped out her window and eventually was allowed back into Paris. Happily returning to the building of her palace that was a reminder of her days growing up in Florence.

In 1612 she purchased the vast location on the left bank owned by the Duc de Luxembourg. Bringing in Italian artists she had a palace designed just for herself.

On April 2, 1615 she laid the first stone but would be exiled within two years. Upon her return in 1621 she poured herself into finishing and by 1625 moved into the first floor of the west end in the mostly unfinished palace.

Her days back at court were made difficult by the Cardinal Richelieu who had more of an influence over her son. Trying to get him ousted it would only backfire and once again she was sent away.

On her way to Germany she stopped for the night and unbeknownst to her, Louis XIII had set a trap for his mother. Stripped of her title and pension she would never return to Paris or her palace. On July 3, 1642 Marie de Medicis would die of pleurisy, leaving her palace and the land to her other son, Gaston Duc d’Orleans.

The palace would finally be finished and passed down within the family. During World War II the Germans took it over as a headquarter and is now the home of the French Senate. Opened once a year on the Journee de Patrimoine in September it is a must see if you are in Paris. Some of the rooms have been left unchanged since the days of Marie and you can see a rare slice of life in the early 17th century of Paris.

The Jardin du Luxembourg however is open for anyone to walk through. The Medicis fountain tucked away under the trees is different from what she originally envisioned but it is still one of the most beautiful places in all of Paris. Stretching out from the palace like a delicate pear necklace, the statues of the 20 women in French history of course includes Marie de Medicis. Check out the podcast episode we did all about her life

The Day We Lost the Voice of the Lost Generation

On this date 61 years ago at 7:30am in 1961, Ernest Hemingway woke up and decided to end his life. Living in Ketcham, Idaho with his fourth wife Mary after leaving Cuba for the last time in July 1960. Having lived a life of adventure, heavy drinking and plane crashes that lead to head injuries he was on the verge of a breakdown. While writing an article for Life magazine he was having a hard time arranging his thoughts and cutting down his copy and needed to bring A.E.Hotchner in to organize his thoughts. After Hotchner said Hem was “unusually hesitant, disorganized and confused, and suffering badly from failing eyesight”. Hemingway became depressed and paranoid thinking he was always being watched and would not leave the house.

Mary decided they needed to go to Idaho where his doctor would meet them. Doctor George Saviers felt the author needed to be admitted to the Mayo Clinic where he was given electroshock therapy 15 times in December 1960. Released in January 1961 he returned to Ketchum Idaho, a shell of who the larger than life man used to be.

Months later in April, Mary “found Hemingway holding a shotgun” one morning, this resulted in a return to the Mayo clinic and more electroshock. Back home in Ketchum on June 30, it would be only 36 hours later that he grabbed a shotgun and shot himself in the front entry of his house. Mary was home when it happened and would say his death was accidental while cleaning his gun.

A memorial built in Sun Valley and his own words were used to remember him. "Best of all he loved the fall. The leaves yellow on the cottonwoods. Leaves floating on the trout streams. And above the hills the high blue windless skies. Now he will be a part of them forever”. For a man that was larger than life, it is his early years in Paris that most know today and not the sad end. The author that embraced life in a way that would be told in the many pages of his books, losing that talent later in life may have been too much for him.

If you are in Paris this fall and want to walk in his footsteps with me reach out and book a tour.

The Lasting Legacy and Love of the Louvre

When my grandparents went to Paris they always sent postcards back to friends and family. My grandma always wrote “save this postcard” on them and lucky for me we have many of them. I just found two the other day, sent a day apart and one from my grandpa to the kids and one from my grandma to her parents. It was April 1972 and it was their first visit to Paris.

It's their handwriting I know so well from all the journals and everything I have of theirs and it's comforting and a little sad when I see it. I can imagine the two sitting in a cafe filling out the cards with a few facts of their trip. These two really struck me because they mention the Louvre.

Grandpa’s postcard of Notre Dame

“Dearest kids…. Yesterday we did the Eiffel Tower. In AM I did Sorbonne, Notre Dame, etc. I love this beautiful city. Our hotel, real deluxe. Will do Louvre tomorrow.”

Grandma’s postcard with Mona Lisa

“Dearest family, we saw this world treasure - also the Venus de Milo. Still can’t believe we are here although we walked miles up the left bank to the Louvre and then the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. Will hate to leave Paris - I love it, almost more than San Francisco. “

My grandpa also kept a steno pad filled with notes on what they did.

“First saw the Mona Lisa and other paintings in the Salle des États, then Galerie d’Apollon (beautiful) then walked through the Egyptian & Greek antiquities + the Venus de Milo. Walked through the Porte Henri II, Cour Carrée and the Port Egyptienne over and through Eglise Saint Germain l’Auxerrois.”

Seeing my grandpa write the exact name of the salle where the Mona Lisa is and his feelings of the Galerie d’Apollon makes me so happy. Even two generations later, it is the same love I have and it is all because of them. These are treasures I will keep with me forever.

I would give anything to have been able to visit the Louvre with them but I did share so much of it with my grandma. She loved to read my posts and articles and talk about how much she loved Paris and of course all the pastries and chocolate until the very end. In a few weeks I will take a bit of her back so she will always be a part of Paris.

Le jour de Petit Prince

On June 29, 1900 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born in Lyon. His name is known all around the world to generations because of a little book he wrote, Le Petit Prince. Today is known as World Petit Prince day and is dedicated to the story of the young boy who was trying to figure out life by looking below the surface. It is much more than a children's book and is one that can teach us even as we grow older.

Antoine was a writer and a pilot and at the start of WWII he left for the US. In the summer of 1942 he wrote the story based a bit on him, his wife Consuelo and a few friends. At the same time he was writing he was drawing the story, the two inspired each other. In April of 1943 it was first published in English in the US, the French version couldn’t be published until after the Liberation of Paris.

Recently the Musée des Arts Decoratifs held an exhibit featuring the first manuscript of the story. Held in NY at the Morgan Library it left for France for the very first time last winter. The exhibit was amazing and looking at the original drawings and edits this amazing author did was one of those pinch me moments.

Saint-Exupéry died on July 31, 1944 when his P-38 went down near Corsica in the Mediterranean. The wreckage was found in 2000 but the cause is still unknown. Sadly, he never saw the publication in his native France before he died. Today it is the 2nd most translated book in the world after the Bible. In over 500 languages it’s sold more than 200 million copies with 5 million copies each year. It might be the most popular children's item to come out of France next to that giraffe.

I still have the copy my grandma gave me when I was a child and cherish it. Have you read it?

“The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen.”

“He sat down. I sat down next to him. And after a silence, he spoke again. 'The stars are beautiful because of a flower you don't see...' I answered, 'Yes, of course.”

"Make your life a dream, and a dream, a reality." Le Petit Prince

The Best Bridge in Paris

Like a beautiful iron balcony on a Haussmann building, the Pont des Arts crosses the Seine linking the rive gauche to the Louvre.

On this day in 1984, Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac christened the newest version of the bridge.

The first bridge or passerelle dates back to 1801 and was ordered by Napoleon. Engineers Lacroix and Dillon would design the first metal bridge in Paris, take that Eiffel. At the time the Louvre was the Palais des Arts, so the delicate passerelle was given the same beautiful name, bien sur. Originally with nine arches it was constructed to look like a hanging garden stretching across the Seine.

Lined with orange trees, rose bushes and flowers one could sit on one of the benches and contemplate their day. There was a small toll to cross it of 5 centimes until 1848, imagine that helped pay for the floral upkeep.

With it’s nine narrow arches the bridge was the constant victim of bumps and bruises. In 1852 they removed an arch on the left bank adding a little more space. During WWII German bombings continued the damage. In January 1961 when the levels of the Seine were at their winter height the mast of a tow boat ran into the bridge damaging 30 feet and the fifth arch. Ten years later a barge destroys the sixth arch and damages two more. Patched and repaired each time until 1979 when the final blow was too much. A barge hit it so hard, 195 feet of the bridge collapsed. This time it couldn’t be repaired.

The bridge was finally demolished, but pieces of the origin arch can be found in Nogent-sur-Marne. The passerelle des Arts de Nogent has the surviving arches of the 1804 span.

Architect Louis Arretche was asked to design a new bridge, however he kept it very close to the original. Reducing the arches to seven to avoid the past damage, the beautiful garden has been removed and today just a few benches line the center of the bridge.

The Mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac stood on the bridge on June 27, 1984 and inaugurated the new, just as beautiful as the old bridge. Today it is the spot I must walk over every day, no matter the time of the day it is one of the best views in all of Paris.

The Walls of the Musée d'Orsay that Tell a Story.

One of my favorite things about the smaller rooms of museums is how the curators organize 

the collection. Some rooms are dedicated to a single artist but the really cool ones are a mix of artists and when you really look you can see how each painting actually speaks to each other. 

There is one specific room in the Musée d’Orsay that I love and it is because of the paintings in the room and how each one has their own amazing story but together they tell another story.  On the ground floor of the Orsay in salle 12 you can find one of my favorite portraits, Berthe Morisot au Bouquet de Violettes by Manet.  I have a lot of favorites and if you have done a tour with me I will mention it about 1000 times but if I had to pick my top five favorite paintings, this would be one of them. 

I love the story of their friendship and how they met as she was a copyist in the Louvre and as soon as they met he wanted to paint her. Manet loved her dark looks and captured her for the first time in the painting just to the right. Le Balcon was painted in 1868 and Berthe is seen sitting holding a fan and looking off into the distance. 

The next wall, Manet’s Madame Manet au Piano, which is his wife Suzanne Leenhoff who arrived into his family as a piano teacher for the young Manet. Next to her is La Lecture also by Manet that shows a lovely Suzanne in a billowy white dress, that also resembles back to Le Balcon and in the background is her son, Léon who is also in Le Balcon. To the right is Monet’s painting of his wife also on a couch. 

James Tissot’s Portrait of Mademoiselle L.L. , another portrait of a very fashionable woman in her red jacket that pops from the wall. Back to the wall with Berthe that includes two Renoir’s Madame Darras and Jeune femme à la violette. Stand back and look at this wall and how they all are tied together and then look at the entire room and see how one theme leads to the next. 

Check out my video I made sharing this room as well as Manet’s Olympia and then up to the Impressionist gallery. And if you are coming to Paris this fall, reach out for a tour, days are filling up fast. Check ClaudineHemingway.com 

Also see video on my YouTube channel and subscribe. 

The Voice of Exploration

If you have ever read one of the best books there is A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, you will understand the concept of being able to “eat the words”. Hemingway had a way of describing the feeling of the street, the air and the specific warmth that overcomes you in Paris.

Anthony Bourdain was also able to tell a story in the same way, but with Bourdain we were lucky enough to also watch him as he discovered and enjoyed the simplicity of the perfect dumpling or a late night walk along the Seine. Moreover, much like Hemingway, Bourdain’s life ended the same way, at his own hand. There is great loneliness in greatness.

Maybe they both were only truly alive when they were exploring the corners of the world, and it was the loneliness of home that pushed them too far. In Paris, it is where I feel alive, and struggle to find that feeling every moment of the day when I am not there. How do you feed that constant feeling of exploration and excitement and enjoying the simple everyday moments that get lost when back “home”?

You no longer get to linger over a glass of wine or stroll the streets and chat with the cheese monger about the most perfect cheese plate. You cannot get those perfect moments anywhere else. People should be supportive and open to what other people want and dream of and maybe if they stopped long enough to listen they would see the world through new eyes. Today he would have been 65 years old.

While I can take some moments of solace in the fact that, I can now call some of his friends my own, I still miss his voice and wide eyed wonderment every day.

“Most of us are lucky to see Paris once in a lifetime. Please, make the most of it by doing as little as possible. Walk a little. Get lost a bit. Eat. Catch a breakfast buzz. Have a nap. Try and have sex if you can, just not with a mime. Eat again. Lounge around drinking coffee. Maybe read a book. Drink some wine. Eat. Repeat. See? It's easy."

“Okay: go to Paris, check into a nice hotel, and my plan is I'm going to eat some fucking cheese and I'm gonna get drunk." Anthony Bourdain we miss you and your voice every single day.

A Morning (or anytime) Favorite

Any morning that I go to the Musée du Louvre, which is many of them, it always starts with a petit dejeuner at Le Nemours. Sitting in the Place Colette just outside the Palais Royal with its view of the Comédie Francaise it may be one of the most photographed terraces in all of Paris. Angelina Jolie filmed a scene from the Tourist there, accidentally sitting in that spot was something I learned to never do again. The mornings are filled with locals having their café and catching up with the latest news in Le Monde. By lunchtime all the way through the day it becomes the hotspot of tourists, photography sessions, workers of the Louvre and apero in the sunny afternoon.

I always feel a bit like Snow White when the birds descend on me looking for a croissant crumb or to steal a chip in the afternoon. If you walk by in the later afternoon and see an open seat, snatch it as fast as you can. Especially on a beautiful day, they are a hot commodity in Paris.

Don’t miss Jean Michel Othoniel’s Kiosque des Noctambules, one of the most beautiful metro entrances in Paris. Installed for the new millennium in 2000 and constructed of six columns and two separate “domes” that are each topped with a glass figure. Its two separate themed arches, the cool tones of blue, purple, yellow and clear meaning night and the warm colors red, yellow and clear signifying the day.

A little clue to the one time life of nearby Palais Royale long before.

2 Place Colette 1e

Have a photo of the famous Le Nemours or Place Colette, please

The "Only" Empress of France

Long before she would become Empress of France, Joséphine de Beauharnais lived another life and even escaped death. Born on June 23, 1763 in Les-Trois-Ilets Martinique to a wealthy sugar plantation owning family. Marie-Josèphe-Rose as she was known before Napoleon was the eldest daughter but wasn’t the first to be married off. Her aunt Desirée was the mistress of Francois-Marquis de Beauharnais and as he became ill in order to help the family that's plantation had been heavily damaged in a hurricane she offered her youngest niece in marriage to his son. Catherine at just 12 years old would die before she could leave for France.

Joséphine in turn would take her sister's place and travel with her father to Paris. On December 13, 1779 in Noisy-le-Grand Joséphine would marry Alexandre de Beauharnais. It was a tough marriage from the start. Alexandre was frequently gone and spent days in brothels.Their first child, Eugene was born in 1781 and in 1806 a daughter, Hortense. With him being away so much he accused Joséphine of adultery and after a return from visiting family in Martinique he had her sent to the Penthemont Abbey.

Joséphine was able to appeal to the commissioner who sided with her and forced her release and for her husband to pay her a pension.

At the Revolution Alexandre was suspected of being an aristocratic sympathiser and was arrested and sent to prison. While they rarely spent time together Joséphine was also arrested.

Alexandre was sentenced to death and on July 23, 1794 he met the guillotine on the Place de la Revolution. Shortly after the fall of Robespierre, Joséphine was released and now a widow.

A year later on October 15, 1795 at a dinner party at the home of Paul Barras she was introduced to the young military officer, Napoleon Bonaparte. Instantly captivated by her, they would spend time together and while he was away on a campagne he would send endless letters filled with love, jealousy and infatuation. On March 9, 1779 at the l’Hotel de Mondragon the two would marry in a civil ceremony. Joséphine was the great love of his life, although they wouldn’t grow old together.

Josephine wasn’t the “only” empress of France, there was also Marie-Louise the second wife of Napoleon and Eugene, the wife of Napoléon III. However Josephine takes the cake as the best. A woman that held her own and made it through the Revolution and life after Napoleon. Can’t wait to do a few episodes of La Vie Creative - Paris History Avec a Hemingway all about this lovely lady.

The One Man Who Saved the Louvre

One man did more for the art of France during WWII than any other, Jacques Jaujard. As the deputy director of the National Museums on his own he decided they needed to evacuate the art of the Louvre. He had already done it once before in 1938. As the Spanish Civil War raged in Madrid, the Prado Museum asked Jaujard to assist with saving their art. Seventy one trucks packed with crates of the Prado collection traveled to Switzerland.

When the Germans moved towards Paris he did it once again, this time on a much larger scale. On August 25, 1939 the Louvre “closed” for cleaning but behind the walls the staff was pulling every painting from the wall and statue and packing them away. Three days later they were placed in 203 vehicles and raced to the unoccupied region of France.

While the art was safely away from their grasp, German Count Franz Wolff Metternich, an aristocrat, appointed by Hitler to oversee the art collection of France with a secret motive to handpick what he wanted. Metternich wasn’t a Hitler loyalist and actually sided with Jaujard on the protection of the art. In August 1940 when he first arrived at the Louvre he was relieved to see the art was already gone.

Not only did Jaujard have to fend off the Germans he also had to keep the art out of the hands of the Vichy French government that wanted to hand the art over to the Germans. It wasn’t just the national collection, it was also the private collections of Jewish gallery owners and collectors. Maurice de Rothschild’s works were protected and acquired by the state and saved.

Jaguar worked the rest of his life for the art of France. In 1959 he served as secretary general of the newly formed Ministry of State for Cultural Affairs overseeing the exhibitions of France and beyond. On this date in 1967 at 71 years old, he suddenly died of a pulmonary embolism.

He is remembered at the Louvre at the Porte Jaujard of the École du Louvre, that he worked to revamp. Two of the Cain Linonesses stand guard for the man that protected the art of the Louvre. Jacques died on this day in 1967 and there isn’t a day that I’m in the Louvre that I don’t think and thank him.

To learn more about this amazing story read Gerri Chanel’s book Saving Mona Lisa . it is so great I have read it twice, it is impossible to put down, and you will fall in love with Jaujard, Rose Valland and so many heroes that put their life on the line to save the art of France.

Le Premier Jour de l'Été

The first day of summer, it felt like it would never come. The longer days lead to warm nights under the stars with glasses of rosé toasting friendships even if thousands of miles apart. Everything seems to slow down a bit in the summer as we all take our time catching those warm sun rays. 

Today in Paris they celebrate the longest day of the year with La Fête de la Musique. Music is everywhere in Paris, flowing out of restaurants, in parks and in the middle of the street in every corner of the city. However, if you want to beat the summer heat in Paris, seek out the walls of the museums of Paris, where summer can always be found.

Alphonse Mucha, the Czech artist created in 1896 & 1898 two separate series depicting the season and the Arts.  The sultry gaze of summer is depicted with her flowing hair resting against vines on what appears to be a warm summer day as she dangles her feet in the water. The transition of colors give you the feeling of a hazy heavy day with vines that surround her and the pop of red poppies serve as a crown to the queen of summer. 

In the Musée du Louvre where summer continues with two statuette women representing the season. Two separate sets of statues, both commissioned to be placed in the gardens of the kings, Saint-Cloud and Tuileries. Here Summer is depicted as a woman holding a wheat sheaf, and draped ever so lightly in fabric. Summer is represented by the Roman goddess of the harvest Ceres with a crown of flowers and wheat. Created by Guillaime Coustou, Summer with her basket was originally in the Jardin des Tuileries, finally arriving at the Louvre in 1972. The other by Pierre Laviron is seen in also holding a wheat, was originally in the Orangery of the Parc de Saint-Cloud, finally arriving at the Louvre in 1872.

Aristide Maillol in 1911 also created a series of his bronze statues representing each of the seasons. Here l’été hands do most of the talking, her facial expression is distant, perhaps she is asking “where is my glass of rosé”, I hear ya sister!

The Louvre is filled with more than 35,000 pieces on display and there is a set of four paintings that always draw attention. 

In 1573 Giuseppe Arcimboldo created four paintings based on the seasons of the year for Emperor Maximilian II of Habsburg; it was to be a gift for Augustus of Saxony. Four paintings, one for each season, created with the harvest of that season.  Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn are each very different from the last, and are one of the most popular sets of paintings in the Grand Galerie in the Musée du Louvre. Like the statues of the seasons each also represents a stage in life, spring is childhood, summer is adolescents, autumn is maturity and winter is always the old man. 

The versions in the Louvre are copies of the originals that are found in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Summer features the best fruits and vegetables that ripen on these long sunny days. Flowers were added to the edges of the paintings in the 17th century long after Archimboldo’s death. 

Les Amoureux de la Bastille

There are a few iconic images of Paris and most seem to be captured by Robert Doisneau, Henri Cartier-Bresson or Willy Ronis. Those crisp silver toned black and white images that still stand the test of time and are etched in our memories for generations. Les Amoureux de la Bastille might be more iconic than Le Baiser de l'Hôtel de Ville

The father of Willy Ronis was born in Odessa, Ukraine and fled to Paris where he set up a photography studio. Willy had other ideas of being a composer but when his father got sick he took over the business. Willy liked the streets of Paris much better than sitting in a studio capturing portraits. One day in 1957 he decided to climb the July Column of the Place de la Bastille. While up there snapping a few pictures he saw a young couple on the edge looking down the Rue Saint Antoine. You can see Notre Dame de Paris, Eglise Saint Paul Saint Louis and other landmarks immortalized in black and white.

Willy took one photo and walked back down and went on with his day. The image was later reproduced in magazines and postcards and spread across the world. However, Ronis never knew who the young lovers were until 31 years later. At a Valentine’s Day exhibition at the Comptoir de la Photographie in the Marais where his famous painting was on display a young man walked up with a book for him to autograph.

Talking with Ronis he told him that he knew the young lovebirds that stood so high over Paris. Willy couldn’t believe it, and it got better. “They own a restaurant just around the corner at 10 rue Saint Antoine, I can take you there.”

Riton and Marinette came to Paris just from Alsace and on that day they climbed to the top this one and only time. Three years later they were married and had opened a restaurant and later had a poster of the photo framed in their bistro in the shadows of the statue of Beaumarchais; the couple had remained for 29 years since that photo.

As they stood up there that day in 1957, they would be immortalized forever, but they had no idea that the restaurant they would own the rest of their life was also immortal. Just down the street and in the photo it can be seen in the corner of the photo.

Marie Antoinette's Most Famous Hair Style

In 1765 a new French ship was born, the Belle Poule, a frigate of 26 guns. The Belle Poule would sail to Antilles, the Indian Ocean and in 1778 would return Benjamin Franklin to America after a trip to France.

On June 17, 1778 between the coast of Plouescat, Brittany and the Cornwall Cape Lizard a battle began between the French and the British. The Belle Poule was in the thick of it against the HMS Arethusa. Canons were fired at each ship, the mast of the Arethusa was destroyed and fell and for the first time since 1756 the French were victorious in a maritime battle. With this act Louis XVI declared war on his cousin King George III.

France was united and caught up in national patriotism that would even inspire the queen’s hairdresser. Léonard-Alexis Autié, arrived in Paris in 1769 and first worked with actresses of the theater. Catching the attention of Madame du Barry, word spread through the court of Versailles of the talented stylist. At the time Marie Antoinette already had an official hairdresser, but would still see Léonardo for special designs as he liked to be called. With Léonard & Rose Bertin who designed her clothes, Marie Antoinette funded one of the very first fashion magazines, Journal des Dames.

In 1774, he created the “pouffe” hair style which became all the rage, all the ladies wanted it.

After the victorious voyage of the Belle Poule in 1778, Léonardo designed a hair design never seen before. With a wire frame structure under hair pieces he recreated the multi mast ship on top of the queen’s head. Wearing it only once for a party at Versailles, Marie Antoinette made quite the statement. Léonardo would go on to create all sorts of lavish hair styles, including flowers, baskets of fruits, bird cages and even the signs of the zodiac. Many of which would be more than three feet high and weighing over 12 pounds and could cost a small fortune.

During the Revolution Léonardo escaped France like anyone else associated with the queen. Living in Russia until he could return to Paris in 1820, he was a very wealthy man that was able to die of old age instead of the guillotine

The first stone of Sacre Coeur

High above the busy cobblestone streets and the hustle and bustle of the right bank sits the white gleaming Byzantine basilica of Sacre Coeur. It is hard to imagine the hill without its limestone wedding cake topper but we actually don’t have to go back that far to a time before it existed. In 1870, it was decided that a basilica “of the National Vow” was to be built in Paris, but where was the question.

It was proposed that it be built where the unfinished Opera Garnier was and even at Chaillot which would have ended up looking at the Eiffel Tower a few years later. None of these locations held any religious meaning, and it would be the Archbishop of Paris, Joseph-Hippolyte Guibert that suggested it be built on Montmartre saying “it is here where the martyrs rest, it is her that the Sacre Coeur must reign in order to draw all to it”.

The building was funded by everyday people, donating anything they could even if it was only a few cents and later subscriptions of stones to dioceses and towns. On June 16, 1875 the first stone was laid and the construction began. Much of the gypsum filled hill needed to be reinforced with deep shafts which added cost and time to the completion. It would be 1914, before it was mostly finished, but the start of WWI delayed the opening. On October 15, 1919 at 7:30am the Archbishop of Paris Cardinal Amette purified the outside of the church while inside on the center of the floor a cross of Saint Andrew was drawn in ashes signifying Christ and Cardinal Amette said a blessing.

At 10am, chairs were brought in and the faithful followed. A parade of the relics of Saint Denis and his fellow martyred Eleutherius and Rusticus were carried down through the nave, finally returning home to the high altar. As the congregation gathered amongst the candle light, above the largest bell in France, the Savoyarde rang out. My grandparents made many trips to visit Sacre Coeur and my grandpa always had his trusty Konica snapping away on an early morning and climbing the steps to get the unbelievable view of Paris below

Sylvia Beach and Ulysses

Sylvia Beach met James Joyce in the summer of 1920 at a party at French poet André Spires home. When she and Adrienne arrived they were told James Joyce was there. Sylvia worshipped the Irish writer and loved his work and was instantly terrified.

Her friend Ezra Pound brought Joyce to the party, so she mustered up the courage and went to say hi. Over dinner she told him about her bookshop on Rue de Dupuytren, Joyce laughed at the name but said he would pay it a visit.

The very next day the author walked through her door, swinging his cane in dirty tennis shoes. “Joyce was always a bit shabby” Sylvia said, “but his manner was so distinguished that one scarcely noticed what he had on”. After that first day Joyce would be found just about every day sitting in the window at a small table writing. His mail was sent there, as many of the expats did and days were spent frustrated at his lack of a publisher for Ulysses.

Pieces of it would appear in the Little Review. As each issue was released the authorities in the US confiscated them and declared it was banned.

Distraught at the outcome of his book Sylvia offered to publish it. It was not an easy task and cost her a ton of money. She almost lost everything taking on the publishing of Ulysses. Joyce wanted to change every edition as it was published.

Still banned in the US, Sylvia shared her frustration to Hemingway. “Give me 24 hours” he said. The next day he had a solution. He would ship books to a friend in Canada who would smuggle them in a few copies at a time down his pants into NYC via the ferry.

Thanks to Hem Ulysees arrived in the US. Today the loyal followers celebrate Bloomsday all over the world, the day the entire book took place, June 16, 1904, all thanks to Sylvia and Hemingway

For more about Sylvia, listen to the episode we did about this amazing, spitfire of a lady here.

Lisa di Antonio Gheradini Giocondo, aka Mona Lisa

She is one of the most famous paintings in the world. The first lady of the Louvre has become a mythical creature far past the painting.  However, did you know there was an entire story of the woman before she hung on the walls of the kings? 

Lisa di Antonio Gherardini was born in Florence on June 15, 1479 to a noble landowning Tuscan family. Not far from The Palazzo Pitti where the Medici family lived was the home of Antonmaria Gherardini and Lucrezia del Caccia. The family lived on the corner of the via Maggio and via Squazza when Lisa was born and then moved to the other side of the river in 1494. Near Santa Croce between via del Pepi and via Ghibellina they discovered their new neighbors, the Giocondo’s. 

On March 5, 1495, at 15 years old, Lisa married the son of her neighbors,  Francesco del Giocondo. Francesco was from a rich family that made their money in the silk business, A widow, a father  and fourteen years older than Lisa who also had a somewhat famous family as a neighbor. Living just a few doors down from Ser Piero da Vinci, the father of Leonardo. 

 A year later they welcomed their first child, Piero, quickly followed by Piera in 1497, Camilla in 1499, Marietta in 1500, Andrea in 1502 and finally Giocondo in 1507. Sadly only two survived past adolescents. 

Francesco became a civil servant and was elected to one esteemed post after another from 1499 to 1512. Once thought to be working for the exiled Medici family he was tossed into prison until the Medici’s returned and bailed him out.  Contracting the plague in 1539 Francesco died and Lisa left Florence to live with her daughter in the Sant’Orsola convent where she died July 15, 1542. 

In 1502, Francesco commissioned Leonardo da Vinci to paint a portrait of his wife. Leonardo was at the height of his fame at the moment after just completing the Last Supper but was also in need of money so accepted the job. Having just given birth to her son Andrea she sat for the portrait, considered quite large at the time for its subject matter. 

She never saw the unfinished painting that Francesco had never paid for after he was sent to jail. Leonardo liked to “meditate” on his paintings, work a little on a painting then take a break to ponder what he would do next. So it wasn’t out of the norm that the painting of Lisa wasn’t finished. In 1508 he carried the painting with him to Milan, then onto Rome in 1513. 

On October 13, 1515 Francois I was in Bologna  for a meeting with Pope Leo X  that Leonardo was also in attendance. Francois already knew of the master and wanted him to create a mechanical elephant for him. He offered his chateau in the Loire to Leonardo but at the time Leonardo declined. On March 17, 1516 Julien de Medici died, it was his last protection and funding he had and he decided to take the French king up on his offer. 

A few months later he made his way to France on a donkey with his unfinished canvas in hand including the Mona Lisa. In his new home, Leonardo was named the first painter of the king as well as engineer and architect but also the party planner to the king. Yes, Leonardo was an event planner. As a recovering event planner I can say his ability to do many things at once came in handy, but the fact he took 20 years to finish a painting I have my doubts on how those parties turned out. 

Leonardo was old, his arm was partially parilized and he spent more time instructing students then painting on his own in his final years. On October 10, 1517 he met with the cardinal d’Aragon at the Clos Lucé and presented him with a few paintings including the lovely lady of Florence. On April 23, 1519, in poor health he had his will drawn up. The paintings he had with him had been given to or purchased by Francois I upon his death.

The basis of that royal collection of Francois I would become the Musée du Louvre. The Louvre owns 6 of the paintings of Da Vinci, more than any country or museum, and Italy is still mad about that. She stayed in the company of the kings and emperors until 1793 when the Louvre was opened to the public. 

Known in Italy as  La Gioconda, and France as La Joconde, her English name, Mona Lisa comes from a shortened version of Madonna, meaning my lady. Madame Lisa or Lady Lisa, either way she has become the most captivating face and smile in the world. As for that smile, Gioconda in Italian, means playful or happy. So the next time you hear the argument if that is a smile or not, you can say, OUI! 

Jeanne d'Albert, the Nemesis of Catherine de Medici

Jeanne d’Albret, is one of the 20 ladies of the Jardin du Luxembourg. You may pass right by her and not even know what a strong woman and ahead of her time she was. Jeanne d’Albret was born in 1528 to Henri II d’Albret, king of Navarre. At a very young age her father wanted her to marry the son of Charles V uniting them with Spain, but her uncle, King Francois I disagreed. Taking her away from her parents when she was 10, but would also suggest a marriage.

On June 9, 1541 at just 12 years old she was to marry Guillume, the Duke of Cleves. This time she refused up until the day of the wedding when she had to be literally pushed down the aisle. She didn’t give up the fight and refused to consummate the marriage. After four years she finally was granted an annulment by Pope Paul III in 1545.

In October 1548 after her uncle had died she was able to marry the man she wanted to, Antoine de Bourbon. After her father died in 1555 she and her husband took the throne of Navarre.

In 1553, she would have a son, Henri III, future king of Navarre and later known as Henri IV, king of France. After 5 children she would kick her husband out after she learned he had a son with another woman. She was really ahead of her time!

Growing up as Cathoic she later converted to Protestantism, by 1568 she became the head of the Protestant movement. As the reign of the Valois was coming to an end, she persuaded Catherine de Medici to unite her daughter Marguerite and Henri III. Jeanne had to promise that she wouldn’t convert her. Catherine said the wedding must occur on August 18, 1572, but Jeanne wouldn’t live to see it.

The legend is that Catherine asked her perfumer to make a pair of gloves for Jeanne. Catherine is known to dabble in the dark arts, and the story goes that the gloves were poisoned and killed Jeanne.

She died of tuberculosis on June 9, 1572

Catherine would take a vital role in the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, killing thousands of protestants just days after the wedding. Jeanne stands on the eastern side of the upper terrace of the Luxembourg, designed by Jean Louis Brian in 1843.