Episode 252 - The Choir Wall of Notre Dame de Paris

The choir of Notre-Dame de Paris, consecrated in 1182, was the most sacred space in the cathedral, reserved exclusively for the clergy. Enclosed by a low wall, it was the site of high mass, the Eucharist, and major liturgical celebrations. At the end of the 13th century and into the early 14th, a monumental stone jubé—a sculpted choir screen—was constructed to further enclose the space and emphasize its sanctity. Rising high above the choir floor, the enclosure created a screen of silence, shielding the sacred rites from the noise of the nave.

The northern side of the enclosure, carved in the 13th century, features vivid scenes from the Gospels, illustrating the Nativity, Christ’s childhood, his public ministry, and his Passion. The southern section, begun in the 14th century by Jean de Chelles, was continued by Jean Ravy and completed in 1351 by his nephew Jean le Bouteiller. These artists, working across generations, created a harmonious Gothic ensemble, though the curved sections of the enclosure no longer survive. The project was largely financed by Canon Pierre de Fayel, nephew of Bishop Simon de Bucy.

The sculptures, originally painted in polychrome stone, were restored around 1860. Though much of the original enclosure was altered during a major redesign of the choir begun in 1699 and continuing through the early 18th century, the surviving elements remain one of the finest examples of Gothic liturgical architecture in France.

We begin on the North side of the choir which originally started with the image of the Annunciation with the Virgin Mary and the  Archangel Gabriell. it was removed to widen the entrance of the choir

Mary, pregnant with Jesus, visiting her cousin Elizabeth, herself pregnant by John the Baptist  Luc 1, 39-56

The Virgin is in blue with gold embroidery and a light veil on her head. Elisabeth in red reaches out to touch Mary. Mary was told by the Gabriel that Elisabeth was also pregenant.

Announcement to the shepherds by an angel of the Nativity of the Messiah. Luke 2:8-14

The Judean mountain around Bethlehem and above an angel in the sky with a banner of “Alleluia”. Two shepherds look up towards the sky and listen “to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord”

The Nativity  Luke 2:1-7

“I bring you news of great joy: a Savior has been born unto you” the baby Jesus is placed above Mary’s bed. The elegant scene is far nicer than that of the stable. The draped curtain is often seen in paintings of French royalty. Mary lays under a beautiful blanket with Joseph at her feet while a donkey and ox looks over the baby.

 Adoration of the Magi guided by the star   Matthew 2:1-11

The three wise men have come to pay their respects before the child sitting on his mother's lap, while Joseph stands behind the Virgin. In art, the kings often represent different stages of life.

The first king, the oldest and wisest, kneels. He places his crown at Mary's feet and offers a cup filled with gold. The next, a mature man, points to the star that guided them. The last, a young man, his hand on his heart, offers his person to Christ. He wears the fleur-de-lis crown of the kings of France.

 Massacre of the innocents by order of King Herod   Matthew 2:16-18

Herod feared his power of Judea was threatened and ordered the killing of all male children under two in Bethlehem. Herod is depicted with a scepter on the throne watching the massacre in front of him without any emotion. The devil over the shoulder of the king leading to the massacre 

 Fleeing to Egypt to escape the Massacre of the Innocents  Matthieu 2, 13-15

Joseph had a dream that Herod was going to try to kill the baby Jesus and decided to flee to Egypt.  Joseph leads Jesus and Mary on a donkey while the mother and son look at each other. On the right as the Holy Family passes, two statuettes that are following are under an arch according to Isaiah’s prophecy. “behold , the false gods of Egypt are tottering before them” 

Presentation in the Temple where the high priest Simeon recognizes Jesus as the Savior  Luke 2:21-40

Jesus is presented to God as the Law required for every first-born child. Two prophets, Simeon and Anna welcome him and sing to God “My eyes have seen salvation”  Simeon, a just and pious man, clothed with the hHoly Spirit, recognizes the long-awaited Savior and welcomes him with veiled hands as a sign of respect. Behind Mary, Anna holds a basket of doves offered as a sacrifice. 

Jesus among the teachers in the Temple Luke 2:41-52

At his first pilgrimage at 12 to the Temple. A teacher holds the Old Testament. Although he is depicted as a much younger child. Mary stands behind him

 The Baptism of Jesus in the water of the Jordan by John the Baptist

Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22

John the Baptist baptizes Jesus, with the river Jordan up to his hips. In the Eastern tradition, an angel assists Christ and holds his garment. The fathers voice reveals his true identity “this is my beloved son”

 Les Noces de Cana  Jean 2, 1-11

The table is covered with a golden tablecloth with four figures seated at the table: Jesus & Mary wear halos and another couple which only the man wears a halo. Two jars are placed at the feet of the servant and present the empty jar to Mary. Mary makes a gesture to the servant who has brought a vessel of water to be transformed. The man at the table holds a loaf of bread . Jesus is holding a book of Scripture in his left hand and in his right makes a gesture of the master who speaks and teaches. 

 The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey Marc 11, 1-11

A few days before the Passion, Jesus on a donkey heads towards Jerusalem followed by his disciples. A man opens a red garment in front as a sign of respect and another in a tree for a better look. Jerusalem is represented by the open door

The Last Supper, Jesus' last meal with his disciples before suffering his Passion

Matthew 26:20-29; Sark 14:17-26; Luke 22:14-39; John 13:1-3

The 12 disciples are seated around Christ for the feast of Passover. Jesus gives them the bread and wine that are his body and announces one of them will betray him. Jean, always the beardless one sits next to Jesus, leans in and asks who he is referring to. “He is the one to whom I will give the morsel that I am about to dip” and he gives it to Judas and at that moment Satan enters Judas. 

  The Washing of the feet Jean, 13, 1-20

Jesus kneels and washes the feet of Peter who holds the scripture that Jesus has entrusted in him and his first vicar in Rome. On the right is a young man in the guise of Jean, holding a smaller book, which could be his gospel since he is later the one that tells of this story. 

The sculptor wanted to connect this scene with the Last Supper that both foretell the Passion that Jesus is about to experience

 In the Garden of Olives in Gethsemane, Jesus prays to his Father before his arrest while his disciples are asleep.  Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-40; Luke 22:39-46

After the Passover meal Jesus and his disciples head to the Garden of Olives.  The sculpture has the disciples asleep under the olive tree and Jesus on his knees in prayer to his father. 

From here the story of the Passion continued onto the Jubé screen across the wall behind the altar. but was destroyed in the 17th century.

Pierre de Chelles died in 1318 and Jean Ravy continued the project on the south wall.  then Jean le Bouteiller, amnitects-sculpture, first half of 14isth century: polychromy, c. 1850

The Risen Christ appears to Mary Magdalene  John 20:11-18

At dawn on Easter morning Mary arrives at the tomb and sees a gardener she doesn’t know is Jesus.

Holding a spade, he asks her “Who are you looking for?” Then calls her by name and she recognizes him and discovers he has risen. “Do not hold me back”. The tree behind is full of fruit and evokes Paradise

  Christ appears to the Holy Women returning from the empty tomb     Luke 24:1-10

According to the Gospel it was the women in the life of Christ that went to find him at the tomb on the second day after his death. Overwhelmed by the news of the resurrection Jesus comes to meet them. Christ holds a white standard topped with a cross of glory, a sign of victory over death and sin. Jean Paul II and Benedict XVI transformed the papal crozier into a glorious cross. 

Christ appears to Simon Peter and John  Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5

It is two scenes in one. The moment Jesus appears to the men, except Jean who doubted the Resurrection on the right, Pierre has tossed himself at the feet of Jesus crying and regrets his triple denial during the Passion. In the back is the faithful friend, Jean, who had accompanied Jesus to the foot of the cross. On the left, a cave, Jesus speaks with Peter and forgives his sins. 

Christ appears to two disciples near Emmaus, but they do not recognize him until the  evening when he blesses and breaks the bread  Luke 24:13-27

Also a double scene in one. On the left, two disciples meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus. Cleopas is turned towards Jesus. 

On the right as evening has come, Jesus sits at a table  and breaks bread, blesses it and breaks and shares it. It is at that moment they recognize him. Jesus explains to them the events that brought them great sadness and it is in their open eyes we see that they listen intently. At the Emmaus Inn where the meal takes place and breaks the bread like in the Eucharist of the Mass. 

 Christ appears to the Apostles    John 20:19-24

On the night of Easter, Jesus with the apostles. This scene tries to depicts the physical reality of Jesus’ resurrection

 Christ appears to the Apostles and to Thomas, who, while doubting Christ's Resurrection, recognizes his Lord John 20:24-31

Thomas kneels before Jesus who shows him his wounds and touches the one on his side. On Easter evening when Jesus appeared to the disciples Thomas was absent. The next week Jesus invited Thomas who only believed the news when he saw it and then professed his faith “My Lord and my God”

 Christ appears to his apostles on the shores of Lake Tiberias  John 21:1-14

Another double work of the reunion of Jesus and his apostles on the edge of Lake Tiberias.(Sea of Galilee) The appearance of Christ; the Apostles achieved a miraculous catch. The fish in the net symbolizes the believers gathered in the Church. Peter who had denied Christ now humbly confesses his love to him. Peter was much taller than the other disciples and close to the same height as Jesus. Jesus entrusts the church to Peter and the first Pope. 

 Christ appears to his Apostles and disciples  in Galilee  Matthew 28:7; 28:10; 28:16-20

Jesus finds himself in the midst of the apostles and sends them on a mission. Jesus again holds a book in his hand, since he himself is the Word of God 

Last two scenes depict a mission of the eleven apostles gathered around Jesus. Go therefore, from all nations, make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And I am with you always, until the end of time. " 

Christ appeared to the same people near the Mount of Olives before His Ascension to God the Father   Acts of the Apostles 1:1-12

On the right, in the last scene, a table is set for the last shared meal. After this final meal, Jesus disappears. There is no medieval representation of the Ascension at Notre-Dame

Like in the previous scene Jesus holds the book of the Gospels and gives his disciples the mission to spread the word 

Episode 251 - The Vow of Louis XIII and Its Lasting Legacy

The Vow of Louis XIII and Its Lasting Legacy

On February 10, 1638, King Louis XIII officially published a vow dedicating himself, his kingdom, his crown, and his subjects to the protection of the Holy Virgin. This decision came in December 1637, when France was embroiled in conflict with the House of Habsburg, and the king was anxious over the lack of a male heir. His prayers were seemingly answered on September 5, 1638, with the birth of Louis Dieudonné, the future Louis XIV. However, Louis XIII died five years later, on May 14, 1643, before fully realizing his vow. His son, Louis XIV, later renewed and expanded his father’s promise.

In 1699, the royal architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart designed a magnificent Baroque altar to replace the existing Gothic one, fulfilling the vow with a transformation of Notre-Dame de Paris. On December 7, 1699, a solemn mass and vespers marked the laying of the first stone by Cardinal de Noailles, accompanied by clergy and dignitaries. A bronze plaque bore the inscription: “Louis the Great, wanting to fulfill the vow of the King, his father, and add a mark of his piety, had an altar made in the Cathedral Church of Paris, with its ornament of a magnificence above the first project.”Beneath the altar, four gold and silver medals with the effigies of Louis XIII and Louis XIV were deposited.

The high altar and choir reconstruction gathered some of the finest artists of the time. Antoine Vassé sculpted the altar, adorning it with two great angels and a bas-relief depicting the Tomb of Christ. The first version, made of plaster, was installed in 1719, while the final version, cast in bronze in 1732, was later gilded. Behind the altar, Nicolas Coustou’s Pietà, completed in 1723, became a centerpiece. To either side, Guillaume Coustou’s sculpture depicted Louis XIII offering his scepter and crown to the Virgin, while Antoine Coysevox created a likeness of Louis XIV in prayer. 

The transformation of the choir was dramatic. The medieval triforium was partially filled in, creating a series of large rounded arcades that blended Gothic elements with Classical masonry. The entire space was covered in Vernal white marble and red Languedoc marble, accented with angels and gilded trophies. At the forefront, wrought iron and gilded grilles by Nicolas Parent and Jacques Petit enclosed the sacred space, featuring the royal fleur-de-lis and crown. The choir stalls, carved in oak by Louis Marteau on the south side and Jean Nesle on the north, were further enriched with scenes from the life of the Virgin, sculpted by Jules Degoullons. Above the woodwork, a series of large paintings commissioned from the finest painters of the time enhanced the spiritual grandeur of the space. By Spring 1714, most of the transformation was complete, though some elements, such as Coustou’s Pietà, were not finished until 1723.

During the 18th century, Notre Dame underwent additional restoration under Germain Boffrand. The south rose window, which had suffered structural issues since the 14th century, was rebuilt, along with parts of the south gate. The 12th-century stained glass, still in good condition, was carefully preserved and returned to its place. The vault and transept crossing, which had begun to deteriorate, were also reinforced. In 1726, Cardinal de Noailles initiated further restoration, overseeing the repair of buttresses and replacing heat-damaged gargoyles with lead pipes. To unify the cathedral’s appearance, the interior was whitewashed, creating a striking contrast between the brilliant marble and gold of the choir and the stark Gothic architecture.

However, the French Revolution would disrupt this legacy. On August 14, 1792, the Legislative Assembly abolished the Vow of Louis XIII, only for it to be reinstated by Louis XVIII in 1814. In 1831, Louis-Philippe once again abolished the vow, but in 1922, Pope Pius XI declared the Virgin of the Assumption the Main Patron Saint of France, reaffirming the vow’s historical significance. In 1988, Cardinal Lustiger reintroduced the Vow of Louis XIII procession, culminating in reading the original text. The tradition was further renewed in 2022 by the Bishop of Chartres, continuing its legacy.

When Louis XIV undertook the renovation of Notre-Dame, he enlisted the finest artisans who had worked on Versailles, leaving behind a masterpiece of Baroque grandeur. The transformation of the 18th century, later followed by the restorations of Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century and Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger in the 20th century, shaped the cathedral as it is known today. Despite his fragile health, political struggles, and a childhood overshadowed by his mother’s authoritarian rule, Louis XIII left an indelible mark on French religious and artistic heritage. His devotion was immortalized in a painting by Philippe de Champaigne, depicting the king kneeling and offering his crown to the Virgin of Pity. This painting once adorned the south transept of Notre-Dame, facing the Chapel of the Virgin, until it was removed during the Revolution. At the time of his death, this painting remained the only visual tribute to his vow—a promise that would ultimately shape one of France's most breathtaking sacred spaces.

Listen to the full episode now and check out a walk through the details of Notre Dame

Episode 250 - Celebrating 250 Episodes of Paris History Avec a Hemingway

For nearly five years, we have explored the lives of the figures who shaped the Paris we adore—its cobbled streets, grand monuments, and hidden corners. From the smallest details of Notre Dame to the treasures of the Musée du Louvre, each story has revealed the magic of history.

For this monumental 250th episode, I wanted to choose a topic that truly honored this milestone. After much reflection, I painstakingly narrowed down a list of ten extraordinary women—figures of resilience, resistance, reinvention, and rebellion—who redefined what it meant to be a woman in their time.

Join me as we celebrate these incredible women and the legacy they left behind in Paris and beyond.

🎙️ Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway

Here’s to many more episodes and the remarkable stories yet to be told!

Julia Child and Veuve Clicquot: Reinvention and Legacy

Julia Child: Bringing French Cuisine to America

Julia McWilliams Child, the woman who introduced French cooking to America, fell in love with France as deeply as generations have fallen in love with her.

Born on August 15, 1912, in Pasadena into a wealthy family, Julia stood out—both for her personality and her 6’2” frame. At Smith College, she excelled in basketball, golf, tennis, and acting. Graduating with a history degree in 1934, she dreamed of becoming a writer but instead landed in advertising at W & J Sloane.

When World War II broke out, Julia attempted to join the Women’s Army Corps but was rejected for her height. Instead, she joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—the precursor to the CIA—where she helped develop shark repellent(yes, really) to prevent sharks from triggering underwater explosives.

Her OSS work took her to Sri Lanka, where she met Paul Child in 1944. He was ten years older, worldly, and sophisticated. They married in 1946, and in 1948, a new assignment took them to Paris—a move that changed her life forever.

In her late 30s, Julia discovered her true passion: French cuisine. By 49, she published Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a book that transformed American kitchens. Unlike many women of her time, she had a husband who championed her success. Paul Child believed in her brilliance, helping Julia become the icon who inspired generations to embrace French gastronomy.

🔗 Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway - Julia Child

Veuve Clicquot: The Woman Who Revolutionized Champagne

Born Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin on December 16, 1777, in Reims, she married François Clicquot, heir to a textile and champagne empire, at 21. Together, they expanded production to 60,000 bottles a year and shipped throughout Europe. But when François died suddenly in 1805, Barbe was left widowed at 27.

Instead of stepping aside, she took control of the business—a rarity for women at the time. Her father-in-law wanted out, but she fought to keep the company afloat, earning her the name Veuve Clicquot ("The Widow Clicquot").

With the help of her trusted employee Louis Bohne, she discovered a key market: Russian royalty loved her champagne. Even when naval blockades threatened trade, she found creative ways to get her bottles to them, securing Veuve Clicquot’s place in history. The anchor logo on every bottle today symbolizes her resilience on the waterways of France.

Beyond business, she revolutionized champagne-making. At her kitchen table, she invented riddling, a process that removed yeast and sediment from bottles—creating the crystal-clear champagne we know today.

She died in 1866 at 89 years old, leaving behind a global empire and a legacy that still sparkles. The next time you raise a glass of Veuve Clicquot, toast to the brilliant woman who defied the odds.

🔗 Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway - Veuve Clicquot

Both Julia Child and Veuve Clicquot reinvented themselves later in life, proving that ambition has no expiration date. Whether in the kitchen or the vineyards, their stories continue to inspire

Victorine Meurent and Suzanne Valadon: From Muse to Master

Victorine Meurent: Manet’s Muse and Forgotten Artist

Born on February 18, 1844, Victorine Meurent was drawn to art from a young age. At 16, she met Édouard Manet in Thomas Couture’s studio, becoming one of his most famous models. With her striking red hair, she appeared in at least eight of his works, including The Street Singer and the groundbreaking Olympia (1863), which scandalized the Salon with its unapologetic portrayal of a nude courtesan.

Though often remembered as Manet’s muse, Victorine was far more than just a model. She was an artist in her own right, exhibiting at the Salon of 1870, where her painting hung just feet from Manet’s. Unlike him, she embraced academic realism, a style that ultimately led them to part ways. Today, only two of her works survive in the museum of Colombes, a small fraction of the talent she left behind.

🔗 Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway - Victorine Meurent

Suzanne Valadon: The Model Who Became a Master

Like Victorine, Suzanne Valadon began as a model but left an even greater mark as a painter. Growing up in Montmartre, she sat for artists like Henner, Steinlen, Toulouse-Lautrec, and most famously, Renoir, appearing in Danse à la Ville and Danse à Bougival (1883). But while modeling, she was also learning, absorbing techniques that would shape her own artistry.

At 30, she finally picked up a brush, encouraged by Edgar Degas, who became a mentor and collector of her work. Valadon’s art defied convention, featuring bold lines, intimate female nudes, and vibrant compositions that challenged traditional depictions of women.

Despite personal struggles—including a turbulent love life, a son (Maurice Utrillo) who battled alcoholism, and a falling-out with Degas—she forged a career in a male-dominated world. Her paintings can be seen today in the Musée d’Orsay and the Centre Pompidou, but for a deeper look into her life, visit the Musée de Montmartre, where her former studio and apartment are preserved.

🔗 Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway - Suzanne Valadon

Both Victorine and Suzanne challenged expectations, proving that muses could be masters in their own right. Though their work was overshadowed in their time, their legacy endures, etched onto the walls of Paris’s greatest museums.

Valtesse de la Bigne & Ninon de Lenclos: Women Who Defied Convention

Valtesse de la Bigne: The Courtesan Who Became a Legend

Born in 1848, Valtesse de la Bigne knew early on that she would have to forge her own path. With an alcoholic father and a laundress-prostitute mother, she worked long hours as a seamstress before discovering the bal musettes of Paris, where she caught the eye of wealthy men. She changed her birth name, Émilie-Louise Delabigne, to "Valtesse," a play on Votre Altesse (Your Highness), setting the tone for her future.

Her striking red hair and magnetic presence won her admirers, including composer Jacques Offenbach and a Russian banker, both of whom showered her with wealth. The Prince de Sagan later gifted her a lavish home at 98 Boulevard Malesherbes, cementing her status as one of Paris’s most sought-after courtesans.

Unlike many courtesans of her era, Valtesse built a life of independence and cultivated an air of mystery. She inspired Émile Zola’s infamous courtesan Nana, a character both admired and feared in Parisian society.

Today, one of the most striking reminders of Valtesse’s legacy is her ornate bed, displayed at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs—a symbol of the empire she built on her own terms.

🔗 Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway - Valtesse de la Bigne

Ninon de Lenclos: The Intellectual Courtesan Who Shaped Parisian Society

Born on November 10, 1620, Ninon de Lenclos was raised by a liberal father who encouraged her love of philosophy, science, and languages—unusual pursuits for a girl of the 17th century. When her father was exiled, her traditional mother tried to marry her off, but Ninon refused. To escape the fate of an arranged marriage, she took control of her own destiny, defying expectations and becoming one of Paris’s most celebrated courtesans.

Unlike many women of her time, Ninon blended intelligence, independence, and seduction, hosting salons where Paris’s greatest minds gathered. She empowered women to embrace their voices and sexuality, while advising men on love and intellect. Her lovers included some of France’s literary giants—Molière, Jean de La Fontaine, and Charles Perrault.

A passionate affair with Louis de Mornay, Marquis de Villarceaux, resulted in the birth of a son, Louis-François, but Ninon refused to conform to societal norms. She left him behind, severing ties in dramatic fashion by cutting off her hair and gifting it to Mornay—creating the "Ninon bob" hairstyle.

Her influence extended to the court of Louis XIV, though his devout mother had her imprisoned in a convent. She was later freed by Queen Christina of Sweden, who admired her radical thinking. Even in her final years, she remained a beacon of intellectual and personal freedom. Upon her death in 1705, she left money to a young François-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, ensuring that her legacy of free thought lived on.

🔗 Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway - Ninon de Lenclos

Both Valtesse de la Bigne and Ninon de Lenclos shattered societal norms, using wit, charm, and intelligence to carve out places of power. Their influence still lingers in the salons, literature, and culture of Paris today.

Madame de Sévigné & George Sand: Women Who Wrote Their Own Rules

Madame de Sévigné: The Letter-Writing Legend

Madame de Sévigné never wrote a book, yet her letters made her one of the greatest writers of the 17th century.

Born Marie de Rabutin-Chantal on February 5, 1626, she was orphaned young and raised by her scholarly uncle, who gave her a rare classical education. At 18, she married Henri de Sévigné, but by 25, she was widowed when he died in a duel over a mistress. Rather than remarry, she embraced independence, immersing herself in Parisian salons.

Her most famous legacy began in 1671, when her beloved daughter Françoise married and moved to Provence. Over the years, Madame de Sévigné penned over 1,000 letters, filled with gossip, wit, and historical insight, documenting everything from the Poison Affair to Louis XIV’s court life. Her letters were copied and widely circulated, even catching the eye of the king himself.

After her death on April 17, 1696, her letters were published and remain a priceless window into 17th-century France. Today, her legacy endures at the Château de Grignan and Musée Carnavalet, where her letters and portrait are on display.

🔗 Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway - Madame de Sévigné

George Sand: The Rebel of French Literature

Born Amantine Lucille Aurore Dupin on July 1, 1804, George Sand refused to let society define her. Raised at Château de Nohant by her aristocratic grandmother, she grew up caught between privilege and rebellion.

Married off at 16 to François Casimir Dudevant, she found herself trapped in an unhappy marriage. In 1831, she escaped to Paris, reinventing herself as a writer. After co-authoring with Jules Sandeau, she claimed a name of her own—George Sand—and debuted with Indiana (1832). Her works, championing female independence, outsold Hugo and Balzac, making her one of the few women to live off her writing.

Her personal life was as unconventional as her work. She had passionate relationships with actress Marie Dorval and poet Alfred de Musset, followed by a turbulent romance with Frédéric Chopin. Their years together in Mallorca and Paris were a mix of love, music, and conflict. Later, she found stability with Alexandre Manceau, who remained by her side for 15 years until his death.

Returning to Nohant, she spent her final years writing and reconciling with her daughter before passing away on June 8, 1876. Today, her statues in the Jardin du Luxembourg and exhibits at the Musée de la Vie Romantique keep her legacy alive.

🔗 Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway - George Sand

Both Madame de Sévigné and George Sand challenged expectations, proving that women’s voices could shape literature, influence society, and leave a lasting mark on history.

Josephine Baker & Rose Valland: Resistance Over Evil

Josephine Baker: The American Who Became a French Icon

Josephine Baker arrived in Paris in the 1920s and transformed the stage, becoming a symbol of freedom, resilience, and rebellion.

Born on June 3, 1906, in St. Louis, she endured a difficult childhood, working as a maid and dancing on the streets for survival. At 15, she joined the Harlem Renaissance, and by 19, she seized an opportunity to travel to Paris. Her 1925 debut at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées was a sensation, but it was her Danse Sauvage at the Folies Bergère, wearing little more than a banana skirt, that cemented her fame. Embracing Parisian life, she rejected America’s racism and became a French citizen in 1937.

A Spy, an Activist, and a Mother

During World War II, Baker became a spy for the French Resistance, using her international fame to smuggle intelligence—hiding notes in sheet music and even in her underwear. For her bravery, she was awarded the Croix de Guerre, Rosette de la Résistance, and the Légion d’Honneur.

Her activism extended beyond the war. In 1951, she refused to perform in segregated venues in the U.S. When she was denied service at New York’s Stork Club, Princess Grace of Monaco walked out in solidarity, sparking a lifelong friendship. She later stood alongside Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1963 March on Washington but declined to lead the Civil Rights Movement after his assassination.

Beyond her career, Baker formed a "Rainbow Tribe", adopting 12 children from different backgrounds to promote racial harmony. Yet, financial struggles plagued her, and despite support from friends like Brigitte Bardot and Princess Grace, she lost her beloved Château des Milandes.

A Lasting Legacy

In 1975, France celebrated her 50-year career with a grand performance at Bobino. Just days later, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away at 68. She was the first American woman to receive a full French military funeral and, in 2021, became the first Black woman inducted into the Panthéon. Her château remains a museum, and her spirit still dances through Paris, where she reigned as the Black Venus.

🔗 Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway - Josephine Baker

Rose Valland: The Woman Who Saved the Art of France

If ever a woman deserved a monument, a parade, and her face on a euro, it is Rose Valland. Largely unknown to the public, she was one of the greatest art spies of World War II, secretly documenting Nazi art looting and ensuring thousands of stolen works were recovered.

Born in 1898 in the Auvergne region, Valland’s mother secured scholarships that allowed her to attend university, an uncommon achievement for women at the time. She excelled in the arts, studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon and Paris, the University of Paris, and the École du Louvre.

The Spy Who Saved Art

In 1932, she became a volunteer curator at the Jeu de Paume—a position that would change history. When the Nazis occupied France in 1940, they turned the museum into a storeroom for looted art, stolen from Jewish families, galleries, and museums.

Valland, unassuming with her glasses and neat hair, was easily overlooked. But she had two invaluable skills—she spoke German and had a photographic memory. Each night, she secretly recorded every stolen artwork, its origin, Nazi-coded inventory number, crate details, train schedules, and destinations.

Her intelligence became critical for the French Resistance and the Allies—helping them intercept trains and recover looted art. If she had been caught, she would have been executed.

A Lasting Legacy

After the war, Valland joined the Monuments Men, aiding in the recovery of over 60,000 artworks. She was awarded honors from France, Italy, Germany, and the United States, but remained humble. Her records are still used today in restitution efforts, as thousands of pieces remain missing.

She chronicled her experiences in Le Front de l’Art, ensuring that her heroic work was not forgotten.

🔗 Listen here: Paris History Avec a Hemingway - Rose Valland

Both Josephine Baker and Rose Valland fought against oppression—one with song, espionage, and activism, the other with silent, meticulous bravery. Their resistance against evil changed history, and their courage still inspires today.

Episode 249 - Gabrielle d'Estrées

Gabrielle d’Estrées is often remembered more for the risqué painting depicting her than for the remarkable life she led. Born around 1573, she was the daughter of Antoine d’Estrées, Baron de Boulonnois, and Françoise de la Bourdaisière. She was one of eleven children—seven of them girls—earning the sisters the infamous moniker “the seven deadly sins,” as coined by the Marquis de Sévigné.

Gabrielle moved in the court of Henri III, where she caught the attention of Roger de Bellegarde, a close companion of both Henri III and Henri IV. It was during one of Roger’s meetings with Henri IV that Gabrielle was first noticed at court, instantly captivating the king. For six months, Henri pursued her tirelessly while she resisted—until at last, she relented.

Henri IV did not attempt to hide his love for Gabrielle, even as he worked to annul his marriage to Marguerite de Valois. To keep Gabrielle close at court, he arranged her marriage to Nicolas d’Amerval on June 8, 1592. In return for playing his part, Nicolas was granted the title of Baron de Benais.

Eager to be free to marry Gabrielle, Henri petitioned Pope Clement VIII to dissolve his marriage to Marguerite. However, the Pope had his own ambitions, hoping to see Henri wed his niece, Marie de’ Medici. As a result, he delayed granting the annulment, frustrating the king’s plans.

Ever at Henri’s side, Gabrielle played a crucial role in helping to end France’s ongoing religious conflicts and was instrumental in convincing Henri to convert to Catholicism in 1593. Yet, despite her influence, she was not beloved by the people, who scornfully dubbed her the “Duchess of Garbage” and criticized her lavish spending. Nevertheless, she remained a central figure in Henri’s life, sitting beside him as he triumphantly entered Paris later that year.

Determined to marry her, Henri publicly presented Gabrielle with his coronation ring before the court—a clear sign of his intentions.

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The union of Gabrielle and Henri resulted in three children: César in 1594, Catherine in 1596, and Alexandre in 1598. All three were legitimized by both the monarchy and the church as Henri’s rightful children. In 1599, Gabrielle became pregnant again. Unlike her previous pregnancies, which had been easy, this fourth one proved difficult. She was sick every day, struggling through five grueling months.

On April 6, 1599, she left Henri behind at Fontainebleau, just days before their wedding, which was planned for April 11—Easter Sunday. Overcome with emotion, she sobbed uncontrollably and had to be physically pulled away from him. It was the last time she would see her love.

The following day, April 7, Gabrielle dined with Sébastien Zamet, an Italian financier who had arrived in France with Catherine de’ Medici and was also closely connected to Marie de’ Medici. During dinner, feeling unwell, she accepted a frosted lemon from Zamet. The next day, she began experiencing severe contractions and abdominal pain, though she was only five months pregnant. The baby had already died, and as her condition rapidly deteriorated, doctors struggled to determine what to do.

Within a day, her face and neck suddenly turned black, leaving the physicians baffled. When word finally reached Henri at Fontainebleau, he rushed to Paris as fast as he could—but it was too late. On April 10, at just 26 years old, Gabrielle d’Estrées passed away—the day before their intended wedding.

One of the most striking and enigmatic paintings associated with Gabrielle is the presumed portrait of her and her sister, the Duchess of Villars. The identity of the artist and even the subjects remain uncertain, but it is widely attributed to the Fontainebleau School around 1594. In the painting, the Duchess delicately pinches Gabrielle’s nipple—a symbolic gesture representing pregnancy. At the time, Gabrielle would have been five months pregnant with the future Duke of Vendôme, Henri IV’s illegitimate son. In her left hand, she holds a ring—Henri’s coronation ring—a token of his love and loyalty. In the background, a woman is seen sewing. Could she be making baby clothes?

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Visitors can find this painting in the Richelieu wing on the 2nd floor of the Louvre, in the Salle Seconde École de Fontainebleau (Room 824)—just follow the snickering adults.

Devastated by her death, Henri planned a lavish funeral at Église Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, fit for a queen. Defying tradition, he dressed in black for months—shocking many, as white was the customary mourning color for royalty. He even commissioned a lifelike effigy of Gabrielle and placed it in the room next to his own, where he would sit with her and take his meals.

Gabrielle was laid to rest at the Abbey of Maubuisson, where her sister was a nun, while their children remained close to their father. Less than a year later, Henri IV married Marie de’ Medici.

Episode 248 - Madame de Pompadour

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson’s life seemed destined to intertwine with that of the king. Born on December 29, 1721, in Paris, her father, François Poisson, was the food commissioner during the Famine of 1725. However, he was charged with fraud and forced to flee France, leaving Jeanne and her mother behind, homeless, as everything they owned was seized. In 1727, Jeanne was sent to the Ursuline Convent in Poissy.

Two men soon entered their lives alongside her mother, Madame de la Motte: Jean Puvis de Monmartel and Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem. Tournehem became her legal guardian and was widely believed to be her biological father. While she may have received an elite education at the convent, Jeanne was often ill and bored, prompting her return home at just nine years old.

Shortly after, her mother took her to a fortune teller who foretold that the young girl would one day hold the heart of the king. From that moment, she was called "Reinette"—the little queen. Determined to prepare her for a life at court, her mother hired the best teachers to educate her in art, dance, and theater.

In 1740, at the age of 19, Jeanne married Charles Guillaume Le Normant d'Étiolles, the nephew of her guardian, Tournehem, under one condition: their marriage would remain happy and intact—unless the king came calling. Tournehem showered the couple with gifts, including the Château d'Étiolles, and named Charles Guillaume his sole heir, cutting out his own children.

The marriage was a happy one, producing two children. However, tragedy struck in 1744 when their infant son died within months of birth, and their daughter, Alexandrine, passed away before her ninth birthday. Despite these personal losses, Jeanne and her husband hosted lavish salons at the Château d'Étiolles, attracting luminaries such as Voltaire, Fontenelle, and Montesquieu. Her name began circulating beyond the salons and into the royal court.

Eager to attract the attention of Louis XV, Jeanne devised a bold plan. Knowing that the king frequently hunted near their home, she dressed in an elegant blue gown and rode out in a striking pink carriage, crossing his path. A few days later, she reversed the colors—donning a pink dress with a blue carriage—ensuring that she remained unforgettable. Her audacity paid off; the king took notice and soon sent her a whole venison as a gift—a rather regal way of courting a lady.

On February 24, 1745, she was invited to court for a masked ball. Dressed as Diana the Huntress, she floated through the grand hall—straight into the king’s arms. Three days later, at the Hôtel de Ville, Louis XV publicly declared his love for her.

By May 7, her separation from her husband was finalized. When the king wanted something, things moved quickly. However, as a commoner, Jeanne’s presence at court—let alone her relationship with the king—was frowned upon. This was swiftly remedied when Louis XV purchased her a noble title, a château, and a coat of arms, making her the Marquise de Pompadour. On September 14, 1745, she was formally introduced at court—on the arm of the king.

Their intimate relationship lasted from 1745 to 1751, but they remained deeply connected, with Pompadour becoming his most trusted adviser. She became pregnant with the king’s child three times, but each ended in miscarriage, taking a toll on her health. It is believed that this was the reason their physical relationship ended.

Yet, Louis XV ensured she remained close. On October 12, 1752, he granted her the title of duchess, and in 1756, she became Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen—the highest position a woman could hold at court. He gifted her properties and châteaux, including commissioning the Petit Trianon for her, though she would never live to see its completion.

While many royal mistresses came and went, Madame de Pompadour left a lasting imprint on France, particularly in the arts. She was a dedicated patron, supporting artists and developing her own skills—from gemstone engraving to book printing. She played a crucial role in founding France’s first royal porcelain factory and was instrumental in the construction of the École Militaire, Place Louis XV (now Place de la Concorde), and what is today the Élysée Palace, home to the French president.

On April 15, 1764, at just 42 years old, she died of pulmonary congestion at Versailles, with the king by her side. Three days later, a lavish funeral—fit for a queen—was held at Église Notre-Dame de Versailles, where Louis XV was said to be inconsolable. She was later taken to Paris to be buried alongside her mother at the Capucines Convent. Though the convent no longer stands, it is believed that she and her mother remain buried beneath the sidewalk at 3 Rue de la Paix.

Today, she is immortalized in statues and artwork, including a famous pastel portrait by Maurice Quentin de La Tour, displayed at the Louvre, where she is surrounded by books and engravings—many of which she created herself.

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Episode 247 - The Lost and Rediscovered Stained Glass of Notre Dame

In 2020, a remarkable discovery was made in the gallery above the Notre Dame de Paris nave: long-lost stained glass panels dating from 1935. These fragments were sent to the Manufacture Vincent Petit for analysis, reigniting interest in a lesser-known chapter of the cathedral's history.

In the 1930s, stained glass artist Louis Baillet was tasked with selecting artists for Notre Dame's new stained glass windows. However, the project faced resistance. The 19th-century Viollet-le-Duc windows were criticized for being too pale and not aligning with the cathedral's Gothic aesthetic. Despite these challenges, twelve artists took on the project, funding much of it themselves in hopes of leaving a lasting mark on one of the world’s most iconic landmarks.

The artists exhibited their designs at the Pontifical Pavilion in 1937 to garner support, yet the Commission for Historical Monuments rejected them, citing design, proportion, and color inconsistencies. World War II further derailed the project, leaving much of the work incomplete.

While plans were initially made to replace Viollet-le-Duc’s windows in Notre Dame, including updates to its 13th-century Rose Windows, fragments remain today. Of the original twelve windows, only a few pieces, a complete rose window, and an almost-complete bay survive. Notably, Jacques Le Chevallier’s designs were among the few that were retained and reinstalled in 1965.

Not everyone agreed to replace the VLD windows. Gabriel Rupinich-Robert, Grand Inspector of Historical Monuments, believed they were in fine condition and did not require replacement. Similarly, Aléette de Maille, Vice President of La Sauvegarde de l’Art Français, opposed removing these unique art pieces.

Each artist brought their distinct style and vision to Notre Dame:

• Jean Hébert-Stevens initially created figures for Saint Loup & Saint Germain, which were later revised to Saint Radegonde & Saint Martin. His work was accepted but underwent color adjustments.

• Valentine Reyre: A key figure in 20th-century sacred art, her works included Saint Foy & Saint Martial.

• Louis Mazetier: Designed Saint Bernard and the Holy Ghost rose window.

• Father Marie-Alain Couturier: Depicted Saint Clotilde & Saint Germain.

• Paul Louzier: Created windows of Saint Francis de Sales & Saint Vianney, later modified to darker colors.

Following the devastating 2019 fire, all stained glass windows were found to be intact, aside from minor damage to the small rose windows due to heat. Restoration efforts began, focusing on cleaning, analyzing, and re-firing the glass using modern techniques. Of the twelve original artists, only works by Le Chevallier and Hébert-Stevens are known to exist today.

Le Chevallier’s family returned one of his windows to Notre Dame in 2013 to commemorate the cathedral’s 850th anniversary, later donating it to the Cité du Vitrail in Troyes. Additionally, crates of never-fired glass panels were discovered post-fire, offering a glimpse into these artists' incomplete vision.

In December 2023, President Emmanuel Macron and Archbishop Laurent Ulrich selected contemporary artist Claire Tabouret to design six new stained glass windows. Tabouret’s work, featuring watercolor-inspired designs with vibrant turquoise, yellow, and red hues, aims to pay homage to the Viollet-le-Duc windows.. The project will be executed by Simon-Marc, one of France’s oldest stained-glass workshops, with a budget of €4 million, funded by the Ministry of Culture.

The new windows of Claire Tabouret

This decision has sparked debate, particularly regarding the 1964 Venice Charter, which stipulates that original artworks integral to a monument should only be removed if it ensures their preservation. While some argue that the new designs will breathe fresh life into Notre Dame, others believe the historical VLD windows should be maintained and restored.

Notre Dame’s stained glass story involves artistic struggle, war-induced delays, and shifting cultural tastes. Whether through preservation or reinvention, these windows reflect the cathedral’s ongoing evolution—a testament to the artists who sought to leave their mark on one of the world’s most treasured landmarks.

Episode 246 - The Louvre’s Crisis and the Mona Lisa

On the eve of the highly anticipated *Louvre Couture* exhibit, a leaked letter dated January 13, 2025, from Louvre director Laurence des Cars to Minister of Culture Rachida Dati exposed alarming concerns about the museum’s deteriorating state. The letter detailed significant issues, including water damage, failing technical and security equipment, and malfunctioning elevators and escalators—symptoms of deeper structural neglect.

The urgency of these issues became evident in November 2023, when an exhibition dedicated to the drawings of Claude Gillot had to close just four days after opening due to a water leak in the Pavillon de Sully. More than a year later, the room remains unrepaired. Des Cars’ letter also highlighted the inadequacy of visitor facilities, including a shortage of restrooms, restaurants, and resting areas—problems exacerbated by the museum's surging attendance. Designed for four million visitors annually when I.M. Pei’s Pyramid entrance was inaugurated in 1989, the Louvre now welcomes nearly nine million guests each year, creating an overwhelming strain on infrastructure.

The Entrance Dilemma

Despite the common claim that the Louvre has only *one* entrance, alternatives exist, though they are inconsistent. The Carrousel entrance, once a well-kept secret, is now chaotic. The Richelieu entrance accommodates cardholders and large groups, while the Porte de Lions in the Denon Wing has remained closed with no set reopening date. On hot days, the Pyramid entrance turns into a greenhouse, exacerbating working conditions for staff and visitors alike—a problem only expected to worsen with climate change.

Strategic Timing of the Leak

The timing of the leaked letter was both strategic and opportune. With the successful restoration of Notre-Dame capturing global attention, Des Cars leveraged the momentum to bring focus to the Louvre’s plight. The leak on January 23, 2025, coincided with the quiet opening of the new exhibition the following morning. By midday, news spread that President Macron would visit the museum, and on January 28, he and Des Cars stood before the *Mona Lisa* to announce the *Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance* plan.

A Long-Awaited Solution for the Mona Lisa

While the announcement made headlines, discussions about the Mona Lisa’s relocation are not new. In April 2024, Des Cars confirmed that museum officials had been working on a permanent solution for the ever-growing Mona Lisa problem. However, the idea was initially proposed as early as 2022. Alongside plans to create a dedicated space for the painting, the director suggested reopening the eastern entrance overlooking Église Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois to ease congestion at the Pyramid.

The need for a new Mona Lisa space has been evident for decades. When the Grand Louvre project was conceived in the 1980s, the Louvre’s attendance was five million annually—half of today’s numbers. In 2016, another proposal was considered during renovations beneath the Pyramid, but financial and spatial constraints shelved the idea. Instead, an overhaul of the *Salle des États* was undertaken.

The issue resurfaced in 2019 during the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition marking the 500th anniversary of his death. The *Mona Lisa* remained in her usual spot, albeit with a fresh Prussian blue backdrop. However, for a brief period from July to October, she was moved to the Richelieu Wing’s *Galerie Médicis*, home to Rubens’ *Marie de Médicis* cycle. The temporary relocation provided valuable insight: while the Richelieu Wing is modern, it lacks the capacity to handle tens of thousands of daily visitors efficiently. The Louvre orchestrated a highly structured visitor flow, turning off escalators to manage queues and counting precisely how many people came solely to see the painting.

The Mona Lisa: The Original Clickbait

The *Mona Lisa* has been an icon long before the internet era, but her room is frequently labeled as a disappointment—not due to the painting itself, but because of overcrowding and visitor behavior. A 2024 study by CouponBirds analyzed 18,176 visitor reviews and found that the *Mona Lisa* ranked as the most “overrated” artwork in the world, with 37.1% expressing disappointment. Crowds were the primary grievance, with visitors often focused on selfies rather than appreciating the painting. In second place? Delacroix’s *Liberty Leading the People*—a ranking sure to ruffle feathers.

The Louvre faces a paradox: the *Mona Lisa* is its greatest draw yet also its greatest burden. While removing the barriers in 2023 created a more open viewing space, it led to a chaotic mosh pit of visitors jostling for position. Staff struggle to manage the crowds, and time limits are often ignored in favor of elaborate photoshoots.

The Future: A New Home Under the Cour Carrée

The Louvre’s *Nouvelle Renaissance* proposes a 400-million-euro project to create a new home for the *Mona Lisa* beneath the *Cour Carrée*. Currently, only a third of this area is in use. Originally, plans for an additional inverted pyramid were scrapped in the 1980s when the excavation uncovered the 12th-century moat and fortress foundations of the medieval Louvre. These remains were integrated into the museum, leaving much of the space underutilized.

On February 4, 2025, the Louvre released a conceptual video showcasing what this new space might look like. A frequently misreported aspect of the plan is the notion that visitors will have to pay extra to see the *Mona Lisa*. In reality, a separate timed-entry ticket—similar to those used for the 2019 da Vinci exhibition or Orsay’s *Van Gogh* exhibit—will regulate access. Visitors wishing to see the *Mona Lisa* will enter through a dedicated back entrance, easing congestion at the Pyramid.

The Cost of the New Renaissance

A broader pricing change is also on the horizon. Starting in January 2026, non-EU visitors may face a higher ticket price of 30 euros. This increase will help fund the *Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance* project and other long-overdue renovations.

Episode 244 - The Summer Apartments of Anne of Austria Part 3

The next room in the series of the summer apartments of Anne of Austria on the ground floor of the Louvre is dedicated to the Paix des Pyrenees. The Vestibule de Paix marks the ending of the Franco-Spanish war that began in 1635 with the signing of the treaty on November 7, 1659, which included the marriage of her son, Louis XIV.  Of the 124 articles, no 105 - 124 were dedicated to the joining of France and Spain through the marriage of Louis XIV with the infanta of Spain, Marie-Therese of Austria, daughter of Philipe IV and niece of Anne of Austria, making her a double first cousin to the king. C’est normal, as they say. 

The idea made its way onto the ceiling of the vestibule, which opened onto the queen’s garden, which would later be named after another young princess. 

The center of the ceiling features Romanelli’s Allegory of the Pyrenees, also known as the Peace, Fruit of the War. In the center, three Roman gods represent the ideals of peace. Mars, on the left with a spear behind him and wearing a helmet topped with a dragon as the god of war and warriors, holds one side of the banner that reads the Fruits of Victory. In the center, Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, has an olive branch, although that was not her original offering. Romanelli originally painted her holding a lily, symbolizing the Bourbon family. During the Revolution, it was decreed to remove all reminders of the monarchy, including the fleur de lys, and the elements of the Louvre were not exempt, and every lily they could find was repainted or chiseled away.  

On the right, holding the other end of the banner, is Mercury, the messenger god. He has his caduceus in his other hand while wearing his signature winged sandals and helmet. Above the trio of guards are three genies holding a Bourbon crown, which survived the Revolution. 

The theme of peace continues in the paintings in the north and south cornices. On the north side, the Goddess of Abundance rests on her cornucopia and distributes the earth’s bounty. She looks toward the sea and Neptune, representing the maritime trade, holding his trident in his chariot pulled by seahorses.  

On the south cornice, Peace sets fire to a pile of armor and weapons and holds an olive branch in her other hand. Behind her is the allegory of history inscribing “of the war of peace” while soldiers are held captive next to her. 

On either side of the paintings are four stucco allegories by Michel Anguier, representing the great rivers of France. Looking towards the north, on the left, the Loire, with its long beard and oar with grape vines over its head, represents the region’s excellent wine. On the right, the Garonne of the SW of France, with pears and grapes beside him, is shown. 

On the south side, looking to the right, is the Rhone, who sits on a lion representing the city of Lyon and a cornucopia of fruits above. On the left, the easiest of the four to spot is the Seine, holding a boat representing Paris and an apple tree for Normandy. On the east and west sides are Angueir’s angels holding a seal with fleur de lys recreated after the Revolution. 

Under Napoleon in 1799, the Anne of Austria rooms were added to the Musée Napoleon to hold many items he “picked up” on his travels. A few of the apartments’ walls and doors were removed, making a lovely vista to the back end of the suite of rooms and the Laocoon statue taken from the Vatican. 

The opening of the rooms allowed the addition of eight very special columns. At the same time, Napoleon had lofty ideas about aligning himself with the great holy Roman emperor Charlemagne, who died in 814.  In 1798, on a visit to Aachen Cathedral in Germany, where the first emperor of France was buried, Napoleon took a few of the marble columns from the upper gallery. The forty columns Charlemagne had initially taken from the eglise Saint Gereon in Cologne would then make their way to Paris and into the Louvre. In 1815, after the fall of Napoleon, most of them were returned, except the eight that can be seen in the Vestibule of Peace. 

The fourth room was the queen’s grand cabinet, and the first of two rooms was her private oasis. Romanelli and Anguier continued their vision on the ceilings, which featured the ancient stories of Rome. 

In the center, Poetry and History Celebrating the Exploits of Rome, you may now recognize a few figures from the earlier ceilings. In the center 

History sits on the left and holds a book on her lap while looking towards Time in the lower part of the painting. In the center of the grouping, an allegory of Rome holds the orb of the world while Poetry looks up at her. Fame, with her trumpet, is ready to announce Rome’s greatness. Finally, Rome is being crowned by the Genius of Glory. The beautiful blue sky surrounding the ceiling gives it a lightness that ties in all the stories below. 

Four paintings within the cornice give us a deeper look into Roman history. Starting on the west side, the Abduction of the Sabines tells the story of a scene from the 8th century BC Rome. Romulus was worried that the population of Rome was stalled and decided they needed more women.  Visiting the nearby towns, the Roman soldiers pleaded with the leaders for the women to be allowed to marry them, but every city turned down the offer. So what did the Romans do? They threw a party dedicated to Neptune and invited all the local townspeople. Romulus would give a signal, and at that moment, his soldiers knew to grab all the Sabine women.  A popular theme told through many paintings and sculptures and often titled the Rape of the Sabines, which means kidnapping, not assault. 

On the east wall, the Continence of Scipio occurred in the 3rd century BC during Scipio's campaign in Spain during the Second Punic War. Scipio Africanus, a powerful Roman general, also had a way with the ladies and often had them delivered to him. Scipio refused to accept a ransom for a young female prisoner when he learned that she was already engaged to another man. He immediately summoned her fiancé and her parents and happily returned her to them. Romanelli shows the young woman in blue behind Scipio with her father and fiancé kneeling in appreciation for her release. 

The north and south paintings are more miniature but just as impactful. In the north, we see former politician Lucius Cincinnatus leaning on his shovel. Serving from 460 BC, he decided to retire and live out his life on his farm. Two senators visited him one day, brought his robe, and asked him to return to lead the state. He agreed, returned, and quickly defeated the enemy in sixteen days. He then stepped down and returned to his farm. 

Above the south wall, Mucius Scaevola places his hand on the fire before the Etruscan king. In a tale from the 6th century BC, the young Mucius snuck into a camp to kill Porsena, King of the Etruscans. He came across two men dressed the same, and he chose the wrong one and destroyed the scribe. Captured, he declared he was a Roman man, unafraid of anything, and placed his left hand in the fire. Amazed by his bravery, he was released. 

Anguier stucco sculptures of warriors and young women hold up medallions in each corner, representing more episodes of Roman history, including the Innocence of the Vestal Tuccia, the Devotion of Curtius throwing himself into Chasa for the Salvation of the Romans, Romulus, and Remus. 

Episod 238 - Notre Dame de Paris the Northern Chapels

Over the last eight centuries, the chapels of Notre Dame have been christened with a new name with each restoration. Chosen by the Diocese and led by Bishop Ulrich, the new layout of Notre Dame includes a path through the key figures of the Old Testament.

Announced in November, seven new tapestries incorporating the new theme of the Old Testament have been ordered for the North chapels. Bishop Ulrich chose two artists, Mallorcan Miquel Barceló and English but Kenyan-born Michael Armitage. 

Barceló, born in 1957, is an abstract artist who incorporates light and unusual materials into his work. His work has been seen in the Louvre in 2022 at the Still Life exhibit. Armitage, born in 1984 in Kenya, incorporates his upbringing with traditional Kenyan patterns into his art. 

Each artist will create a cartoon, which the extraordinary weavers will use to bring the tapestries to life. Each piece will incorporate a Bible verse from its designated chapel and be woven by one of three manufacturers: the national workshops of the Gobelins and Beauvais and the private Aubusson. It will take five to six years to complete all seven. 

Life of the Virgin tapestries Gobelins and Beauvais 1638-1657  14 large tapestries that once hung in Notre Dame and commissioned by Cardinal Richelieu and Michel Le Masle, his steward and later canon and cantor of Notre Dame in 1629. After the vow of Louis XIII and the building of a new altar, the idea of a gift of the tapestries tells the life of the virgin. Originally it was 4 then it grew to 14 and took 20 years to complete. 

Three artists, Philippe de Champaigne, Jacque Stella, and Charles Poerson designed the cartoons. Robert de Cotte, architect to Lous XIV, sold them to the Strasbourg Cathedral, and are on display during the Christmas Advent season. 

The many government buildings of France open to the public once a year on the third weekend of September. I first visited the Manufacture des Gobelins in the 13th arrondissement in 2018, and  I still think about all the fantastic things I saw—the Gobelins date back to the 15th century to Jehan Gobelins, who dyed wool for weaving outside of Paris. Later, his son purchased a property on the edge of Paris. In 1662, under the orders of Louis XIV,  Colbert purchased the property and expanded the facility to include goldsmiths, cabinetmakers, casting foundries, upholsters, and engravers.  Today, the Gobelins are a part of the Mobilers Nationale, which houses the official furniture used in government buildings and a few of the most historic pieces in French history. 

A visit includes a walk through the” fish bowl,” a large room filled with huge looms and natural light used to weave tapestries and rugs. But the most impressive thing is the rooms filled with yarn in every color under the sun to match pieces dating back to the 14th century. On this special weekend, these amazing craftsmen and women are on hand to display their craft and watch firsthand how they weave or repair these pieces. 

Following the fire of Notre Dame, a forgotten piece of history was discovered rolled up and pushed away in a large box under some benches. It was a grand carpet that lay in the choir to baptize a prince. 
At the Gobelins, the carpet was unrolled, dried, frozen, and deprived of oxygen to kill insects. They were pleased to see the carpet was in very good shape except for a few dark spots. Named the Drap d'Or (cloth of gold), the carpet dates back to 1825 when King Charles X had it commissioned to be placed in the church when he was in attendance for mass. Created from the cartoons of Jacques Louis de Saint-Ange, the carpet went through a few changes before it was ever finished. 

Saint-Ange design included a white cross with the French coat of arms in the center, the monogram of Charles X. Fleur-de-Lis, and the necklace of the order of St Michel and the Holy Spirit encircled the coat of arms. Golden vines with grapes wind around the cornucopias with a neo-classical reliquary on the lower portion. Around a large candlestick are miters, other church attributes, and the symbols of the four evangelists. At the top, an eagle of St John, the angel of St Matthews, the Lion of St Marc, and the Ox of St Luke

On July 7, 2022, the carpet restoration by a highly skilled group of masters began. The natural light streams into the large room with looms and massive windows, and they work for endless hours on each detail of the treasured carpet. The carpet weighs over a thousand pounds, and a dozen men need to lift and shift it just a few more inches. Luckily, the carpet was in fantastic shape after the fire. However, at one point, the lower portion was glued to the canvas with fish skin adhesive in the 19th century and hardened, making it impossible to get a needle through, but it should be finished by the start of 2025. 

Until the new tapestries were finished, the Gobelins, Beauvais, and Aubusson created an exceptional loan of six tapestries to Notre Dame to fill the northern chapels. 

Two tapestries by Henri Matisse are high above the first chapel dedicated to Noah and the Creation. Matisse began creating pieces from paper cut-outs in 1941. Inspired by his time in Tahiti, he made the Diptyque Polynesia, the Sky, in 1946. The Beauvais manufacturer created the first woven tapestry in 1964, ten years after Matisse’s death. Since then, four more versions have been crafted, including the 1971 version hanging in Notre Dame.

The second chapel is dedicated to Abraham and the theme of blessing. The tapestries of painter Pierre Buraglio of The Oak of Mamré with Giotto & Au Rex continue the bright blue theme with a touch of spring green. Buraglio was born in 1939 and creates pieces by cutting up his paintings and those of his relatives for new compositions to triangles. 

In Au Rex, the long, skinny pieces of eight blue envelopes were torn to create the image. In the center, the artist purchased Oak of Mamré with Giotto in 1999—the watercolor and pencil canvas of a single tree against a blue sky. The three pieces were woven by the Beauvais workshop between 1992 and 2019. 

The tapestry by Franco-Chinese artist Zao Wou-Ki is found in the second chapel, Moses and the theme of Freedom. Composition 1982 is woven with twenty-one colors and took five years to create. Wou-Ki was born in China in 1920 and moved to Paris in 1948, where he lived in Montparnasse. He became friends with Pierre Solange and Nicolas de Stael. His work includes contemporary pieces as well as portraits. The sea of dark blue in this tapestry is beautiful in person. 

The fourth chapel was named for Isaiah and the dedication of service. Stepping away from the blue theme for the first time is the stunning Shroud no 2 by Mario Prassinos. Born in Constantinople in 1916, Mario’s family fled to France in 1922. From 1974 to 1975, Prassinos explored the theme of the Shroud of Christ. The Beauvais purchased Shroud no 2 in 1986, two years after his death, and from 1987 to 1990, crafted this large tapestry out of cotton and wool. I loved this one, although each one is stunning in its own way. 

The fifth chapel is dedicated to David, King & poet, and the theme of Prayer. The tapestry found here was created by Dom Robert, a Benedictine monk and artist. Born Guy de Chaunac-Lanzac in 1907, he became an ordained priest in 1937. A chance meeting with artist Jean Lureat encouraged him to explore the art of tapestry, which we should be very happy about. 

In Laudes, Dom Robert uses seedlings to represent the morning Monastic prayer. The colors are quite different from any other tapestries featured in Notre Dame. The added butterflies give it a touch of golden colors and whimsy. A museum dedicated to Dom Robert’s tapestries can be visited in Sorèze and is now high on my list, 

The last tapestry is in the Chapel of Solomon and is dedicated to Wisdom. We started the chapels with the well-known Matisse and ended with Georges Braque. Matisse heavily influenced Braque, who focused on tapestries in the last two years of his life. Composition l’Oiseau was woven in 1968, five years after Bracque’s death. 

The temporary tapestries will remain in Notre Dame until at least 2030 

Episode 232 - Notre Dame with Four Weeks to Go

Yesterday marked just four weeks until we returned inside the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris. The doors will open, and we will cross through the Portail du Judgment Dernier. Once again, we will look up and take in every amazing detail the cathedral has to offer. 

For the last 2,037 days, we have clung to every bit of news from the restoration site. Over the last few years, I have witnessed the smallest changes, from the cleaned pinnacles to the largest, with the reappearance of her spire. With each update, the past five years quickly become a memory, and it feels like her silhouette has always reached out to the sky. 

On November 15, the Notre Dame of the Pillar will arrive at Notre Dame after her week-long trip across France. For the past few years, she has been safely tucked away in Saint Germain l’Auxerrois next to the Louvre, where the Crown of Thorns occasionally occasionally appeared. 

While the US celebrates Thanksgiving, we in Paris will give thanks to the march of paintings, sculptures, and new furniture back inside the cathedral. 

Labeled the Renaissance of Notre Dame, a beautiful way to describe it, it has also involved over 2,000 craftsmen and women from 250 companies working on every single millimeter of the 860-year-old cathedral. 

Many of the changes can easily be seen. The entire roof and spire have returned to give us the familiar silhouette, and much of the scaffolding has been removed. All that remains is what moves the workers to the roof and the surrounding upper chevet. 

All mechanical and state-of-the-art fire systems have been installed. 

April 9, 2023

The Grande organ is tuned and ready, but the smaller choir organ must be rebuilt as it was destroyed in the fire. 

The towers will reopen to those who want to climb to the top after December 8 with a new route up the south tower. Two new landings have been added to help you catch your breath. The first landing will also have a history display of the cathedral and the key dates it has been a witness to.  The exit down the north tower will also have a new book shop, which, thank goodness, isn’t on the way up. The towers were completed in 1250, almost a hundred years after the church's building began. During the night of the fire it was the north tower that held the turning point on saving the Cathedral or watching it fall into ruins

The eight bells of the north tower were removed, cleaned, and tuned, and for the first time in over five years, they rang out once again at 10:30 a.m. on November 7. They will ring a few more times before the opening to ensure everything is working. 

When we return in just four weeks, it will mark a new key date in the cathedral's life. However, the work will be far from finished. 

October 22, 2024

While the interior is finished, the exterior of Notre Dame and the surrounding area will have three to four more years of work. With the roof structure in place, it is now time to return the ornamental objects to their perch. The lower part of the spire, the open work, still needs to be covered in lead. The scaffolding surrounding the spire reached through the roof to the altar floor and was removed over the summer to reinstall the marble steps and flooring. 

Now that the roof is in place, the scaffolding will once again crawl up the crevices of the transept, allowing the ornamental roofers to attach the preformed lead decorative pieces. When this is finished, the sixteen statues created under Viollet-le-Duc will finally rest atop the roof to watch over Paris once again. I can’t wait for that day! This should all be happening at the start of 2025. 

On each of the four sides of the transept are the clocks, which also control the bells placed on the roof and ring out on the hour each day. On Friday, November 8, the three new bells were displayed, two of which were struck by gold medal winners during the Olympics. Beginning in the next few weeks, they will be placed on the roof and ring out at each hour of the day. 

October 23, 2024

Every week, we hear inspiring stories from the people and companies working on bringing  Notre Dame back to us. Le Bras Fréres, a construction company that has been a part of the project since the morning after the fire. They quickly created large hangers at their workshop in Lorraine to fit under each buttress to hold up the cathedral. Twenty-eight were created, each weighing ten tons, 

The buttresses play a very important part in the structure of a Gothic cathedral. Each distributes the weight to give the building its light and airy look. This also means that if even one were to fall, the entire church would be in jeopardy. 

In yet one more giant ray of hope, they recently began to remove them. Beginning on the south side of the nave, they will slowly be removed one by one from the south to the north side by early 2025. Work will continue on the back part of the church, the cheat, and the buttresses at the beginning of the year. 

October 27, 2024

Of the 860 million euros donated to restore the church, a bit more than 140 million euros are still left, which will be used to pay for any continued work. 

When the portable office structures are finally removed, the City of Paris will then step in and have a major plan to develop the area surrounding the church. A large reception area for the public with cafes, restrooms, meeting spots for groups, and a bookstore will be built under the forecourt in the old parking lot. Complete with windows out to the Seine. Above ground, 160 trees will be added, and a park will be extended along the south side of the cathedral. Incorporating the existing park will stretch to the eastern end of the island. I can’t wait for the day we once again get to sit under the bushy pink cherry blossoms. 

Image from the City of Paris

Information on the opening weekend of Notre Dame de Paris is slowly being announced. 

The first weekend of December will be the 3rd Opening Ceremony of the Year in Paris and by far the greatest of them all. 

On December 7, a mass with the archbishop and church officials will follow a ceremonial key exchange from President Macron. There is currently a battle taking place between the Catholic Church, which is voicing its concern that they do not need the key exchange. However, it is actually the French government, not the Catholic Church, that owns the famed cathedral, so here we are. 

The opening on December 7 is by invitation only and will be under the highest security. 

The date of December 8 was specifically chosen as it is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which will be marked with multiple masses throughout the day. 

All visitors will need a timed ticket. This ticket should be free, but this could change if the Minister of Culture gets her way. Tickets will only be available a day in advance and ONLY through the official Notre Dame website. 

I will have details as soon as they are announced. 

Inside, the visitor route has changed with entry through the center's Last Judgment door and to Northside, Ally of the Promise, and chapels renamed for seven important figures of the Old Testament.  

South will be the Alle of Pentecost, named after the Saints of Paris and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit: St Joseph, Thomas of Aquinas, Clothilde, Vincent de Paul, Denis, and Genevieve. The opening will also launch a new app with walking routes, history, and information. Fifteen million people are expected to visit in the first year, that is more than the Louvre sees, so pack your patience and prepare to wait to gain entry, but I promise it will be well worth the wait; hey, we have waited five years and eight months, whats a few more hours. 

Episode 231 - Martha Gelhorn

Martha Gelhorn was born in St. Louis in 1908 to two parents who wanted much more for their daughter than the role women were to play at the time. Her father, George, was a doctor, and her mother, Edna, was politically active in the suffrage movement and served as Bryn Mawr's president. 

Her father pulled her out of school as soon as he learned the nuns had covered the pictures of female anatomy in health class and took her to the Mary Institute, where her mother was the president. It was also the school of another young girl who had been there a few years before, Hadley Richardson. 

At just 8 years old, her mother took her to the Democratic Party Suffrage rally in 1916 in St. Louis, giving her a very early view of the rights women should have. After attending Bryn Mawr for one year, she decided to leave and chase her career as a writer. In 1930, she would travel to Paris with a backpack and $50. Even in 1930 Paris, it was hard to find an inexpensive place to stay, and she came across a brothel where she could stay for a few francs. 

Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, think of the times Eat Pray Love inspired people to pack up and head to Europe. With a copy in her backpack, she found a cheap place to stay and a job at the United Press as a foreign correspondent and also for Vogue. While in the city of love, she would later meet Bertrand de Jouvenal. Jouvenal had also been Colette's stepson and, later, her lover for five years. Some historians say Martha had married Bertrand, but in her own biography, she doesn’t say they did.  

Martha was not content to stay in one place too long. She became one of the first female war correspondents after traveling the US documenting the Depression for President Roosevelt. Never one to shy away from conflict, she was able to bring the stories in a way nobody else did. Gelhorn would find the real story and tell it from a raw and sympathetic point of view that touched her readers. 

Her outspoken nature got her in trouble in one job after another. While working for Roosevelt, she supported and encouraged angry FERA workers in Idaho to lash back at their horrible boss and encouraged them to break the office windows. Roosevelt fired her. She didn’t care. 

In 1936, after her father died, Martha, her mother, and her brother decided to spend Christmas in Key West. She was a fan of Hemingway’s writing, even had a picture of him hanging in her apartment at one time, and knew where to go to find him. They walked into the Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, still there today, and found Hem sitting at the bar. A popular recounting says she walked in, wearing a tight fighting black dress and her blond hair catching everyone’s attention. She did get attention, but it wasn’t so dramatic. 

He was immediately interested in her; she was unlike any of the women in his life. She was also a writer and war correspondent, her career, and marched to her drum. It is exactly what would split them apart. It was a friendship at first, and the seasoned writer supported and influenced her. Once she took off for Spain to cover the Civil War, he quickly followed, and their affair began. Pauline was back in Key West, and now another woman was doing exactly what she had done to Hadley. 

As one of the very first female war correspondents, she traveled to Germain in 1938 to see the rise of Hitler and to know what was to come. Gelhorn traveled wherever the story was, Czechoslovakia, Singapore, Russia, Finland, Burma, and Hong Kong, chasing the next story and reporting on it in a way no other writer did at the time, with love and empathy. 

In May 1939, Martha went to Cuba to write and she found the home that would be tied to him for the rest of his life. The Finca Vigia was rundown and in disrepair but she saw the potential, even though he hated it at first. He would spend his mornings writing and afternoons drinking, and she rarely sat still, always leaving to chase wars. 

On November 21, 1940, shortly after his divorce from Pauline was finalized, the two married in a small room in Wyoming. As a honeymoon, the two traveled to China, but he wasn’t happy about it. Hem was used to his wives catering to him and doing what he wanted; that was never going to be Martha. He didn’t understand why she didn’t want to be a wife and stay at home. 

Becoming more and more disenfranchised by the United States, she wanted to be in Europe as Hitler was taking over more of the continent. Finally, she found some passage to Europe and hid in a bathroom on a cargo ship from New York to England. It was the days leading up to D-Day, and to get to France, she dressed as a paramedic, traveled in an ambulance, and was the only woman on the beaches of Normandy. 

Martha had tried to help get her husband to Europe and asked Roald Dahl of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory fame, who also served in the Royal Air Force, to get him a seat on a flight from New York. Hem had another idea, he contacted Collier's who Martha worked for and offered to write for them on the war. This move would move her down the ladder, and he not only stole her job but also was over her. He tried all he could to get to the beaches but never made it, although he would retell it differently over time. 

The last straw came when on her return to England, she was asked about his health and she knew nothing about a car accident he had been in that was the beginning of many crashes and head injuries. Arriving at St George's hospital, he was surrounded by Boysturus friends and, on his bed, numerous empty bottles of alcohol. She was done with it and told him just that. Women didn’t leave Hem except Agnes, the nurse, during WWI, and Martha and his ego couldn't take it. 

At the same time, in Londo and then off to Paris, he was sleeping with his worst of all wives, Mary, a journalist and married.  In Paris, Martha and Hem planned a dinner to discuss their relationship. He showed up with a group of plans; she walked out. From Holland she sent him a letter on November 3 that she wanted a divorce, he was pissed but did agree. On December 21, 1945, the decree was granted, and it was over. Gelhorn never wanted to be the postscript in his biography, nor should she be.  

She continued chasing wars, going where women wouldn’t go. Her personal life was always a mess; she put herself first, above anything else. In 1949, she adopted a son, George Alexander Gelhorn, in Italy and would travel the world. Eventually, she left him with family in New Jersey and never looked back, and the two would never have much of a relationship. 

In 1954, she married again to T.S. Mathews, editor of Time magazine, and divorced nine years later. “Marriage bored me,” she said. 

Aside from writing about wars, she also wrote five novels, 14 novellas, and two collections of short stories, many of which are very witty and funny. In her books, she never mentioned Hemingway or let anyone else bring him up; she always called him the “unwilling companion.” 

In 1970 she finally settled down in London buying a flat in the city and a house in Wales and would continue to write and travel to Vietnam, Israel and Nivaragua until she was 81 years old. 

In her final years she suffered from liver and ovarian cancer and lost her eyeset. Always wanting to be control of her life Martha died on February 15,  1998 at 89 years old, taking her own life by swallowing cyanide pills. 

Listen to the newest episode of La Vie Creative - Paris History Avec A Hemingway today. 

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Episode 230 - Julia Child

Julia McWilliams Child, the woman who brought French cooking to America, fell in love with France as generations have fallen in love with her, born on August 15, 1912, in Pasadena into a wealthy family that had very very tall children. Julia would attend Smith College and due to her 6” 2 ‘ frame, she was perfect for the basketball team but would also play golf, tennis, and even act. Graduating with a degree in history in 1934, she wanted to become a writer and moved to New York to chase her dreams, but her vision of being the next big novelist wasn’t in the cards. Instead, she settled for working in the advertising department for the W & J Sloane furniture firm. 

As World War II broke out, she wanted to join the Women’s Army Corp, but due to her height, she was turned away. Joining the Office of Strategic Services, the OSS that would later become the CIA, she worked directly with the head of the OSS. She would also assist in creating a shark repellent; yes, you read that right. The sharks were getting too curious about the underwater explosives and would set them off, so a repellent was needed to keep them away. 

The job with the OSS would take her to Sri Lanka, where she would meet Paul Child in the summer of 1944. Paul was ten years older than her and a man of the world. He had lived briefly in Paris, where he painted and enjoyed the amazing food and wine, and Julia found him fascinating. Julia herself was a delight and even was awarded for her “inherent cheerfulness” in the OSS. 

The couple married on September 1, 1946, in Lumberville, Pennsylvania. The day before, they were in a minor traffic accident, and true to Julia and Paul's fashion, it didn’t stop them, even in bandages. For their first meal as man and wife, Julia, who had never really cooked before, decided to take a leap by cooking calf brains in red wine. Paul was such a love, but they both found it horrible. Luckily, her skills would vastly improve. 

In October of 1948, Paul was offered a job with the OSS in Paris, setting up the visual presentation department and building Franco-American relations. Paul was an avid photographer and an artist, so it was his perfect job. At 4:45 am on November 3, 1948, they arrived in Le Havre to begin one of the most exciting chapters of their lives. Complete with “the Blue Flash,” their Buick station wagon packed with everything they needed, they headed towards Paris. Stopping in Rouen for lunch at the Restaurant La Couronne, one of the oldest restaurants in France, dating back to 1345. At that meal, she enjoyed her first French baguette, cheese, and sole meunière, which would change her life. 

Early in the evening, they arrived in Paris and went to their apartment at 81 rue de l’Universite or Roo de Loo, as she called it. The two-floor apartment with wonderful large windows was the perfect place to start their French adventure. Filling the days was the hardest part for Julia. Playing bridge and making hats was a bore to her, and she wanted something more fulfilling. As a post-war wife who didn’t know how to cook, she enrolled in the Cordon Bleu, much to the chagrin of Madame Elisabeth Brassart. Madame Brassart enrolled her in the general class for housewives, which was not challenging for Julia, and spoke with her again. With her powers of persuasion, she convinced Mme Brassart to let her join the chef’s class taught by Max Bungard. Filled with only men, she would win them all over and begin a close friendship with Max Bugnard.

During her years at the Cordon Bleu, she joined Le Cercle des Gourmettes and met Simca Beck and Louisette Bertholle, two French women writing a French cookbook for Americans. The trio hit it off and started their small cooking school, L'école des Trois Gourmandes. Offering classes out of Julia’s kitchen for 20 francs, they immediately drew women to their classes and became a hit with the ex-pat Americans in Paris. Simca and Louisette constantly filled Julia in on their trouble with their American consultant and asked Julia to help them.. 

The project would take up all of her time, as she researched every detail and tested each recipe repeatedly. As the only English speaker, she took over all the writing. It would take almost ten years to complete the book, filled with ups and downs with publishers, moving to Marseilles, Germany, and Oslo, and finally, on October 16, 1961, Mastering the Art of French Cooking was released. 

Having returned to the US, Paul retired from the OSS and spent his days helping Julia, focusing on his art, and taking photos. Traveling around the country promoting the book, she met James Beard and Jacques Pépin, and of course, her cheerful demeanor created lifelong friendships. 

In February 1962, she was invited to appear on the WGBH show I’ve Been Reading in Boston. Given a thirty-minute spot, she had no idea how to fill the time, so she brought a copper bowl, whisk, eggs, and mushrooms. During the show, she whipped up an omelet, and the station was flooded with letters and calls asking for more. WGBH asked Julia to return for three half-hour episodes, which was the basis of The French Chef. Premiering on July 26, 1962, it ran for ten years and 191 episodes. Today, you can stream every one of them online on the PBS app. Julia appeared on 11 different TV shows and was on TV every week from 1963 to 2000. 

The Child’s hearts were always in France, and 1963, after an extended visit to Simca’s home in Plascassier, a small Provincial town near Grasse in the south of France, they were given the greatest gift. Simca and her husband offered them part of their land for their home. La Pitchoune was built and was the perfect place for the Children to escape, too, but also for Julia and Simca to work on volume two.

On October 22, 1970, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volume two, was released after many years of work by Simca and Julia and a diligent timeline by Judith Jones. On the road, filming TV shows and writing more books kept Julia busy, and Paul was happy to follow along. 

In October of 1974, after having some health issues, Paul was diagnosed with having had a small heart attack. The years were followed by chest pains, and his brain that was getting foggier as time went on. Their love for each other was more important than any book or TV show. Paul was the ultimate support to her at a time when it was the role of a woman to stay home and raise children. 

In 1989, Paul had a series of strokes that forced his move to a nursing home. Heartbroken at the idea of being apart, no matter where she was in the world, she would call him on the phone every day at 2 pm. Paul would die on May 12, 1994, and the love of her life would be gone. 

After his death, she packed up their Cambridge home and moved to Montecito, California, where she would stay the rest of her life. In her final years, she sat down with her nephew Alex Prud’homme and her stack of many letters between Paul and his brother and wrote her final book about their years in France. My Life in France, released after her death, is a lovely stroll through their love of each other and of France. 

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On August 13, 2004, just two days before her birthday, she died of kidney failure. The night before her final meal would be a bowl of her beloved soup a l’oignon. I remember waking up that day to the news that she died and gasped and cried, and that was long before I fell in love with her. 

In 2001, Julia donated her entire Cambridge kitchen to the Smithsonian Institute, including the pegboard that organized her pots and pans and the raised counters Paul designed just for her. 

In 2009, Meryl Streep portrayed her in Julie & Julia based on her book My Life in France. The movie does a fantastic job depicting their life and love in Paris, and Meryl Streep brings her back to life. I could watch that movie, especially the Julia parts, hundreds of times. 

Julia was in her late 30s when she discovered the meaning of her life and would follow it until she took her last breath. So many of the women we talk about in the podcast lived in the shadows of their husbands and even watched them take credit for what they did. Paul Child couldn’t have loved her more and supported her to become the Julia Child who dreamed of sharing her love of France with future generations. Thank you, Paul and Julia. 

Episode 227 - Notre Dame de Paris, Two Months To Go

Today, we are just 62 days away from the reopening of the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral. On December 8, 2024, after five years and seven and a half months, the center door of the facade of Notre Dame will swing open. 

The cathedral saw a renaissance and returned to the Notre Dame of 1860. While the current head architect, Philippe Villeneuve, has taken on the massive task of managing the project, the architect of the 19th century is speaking the loudest. 

In 1844, Eugène Viollet le Duc and Jean Baptiste Lassus began restoring Notre Dame after many years of neglect. At one point, Paris tried to sell the cathedral stone by stone, although there were no takers. Under Napoleon III and with the help of Victor Hugo’s book Notre Dame de Paris, the public and faithful called for a restoration of the cathedral. 

For twenty years, Viollet le Duc added gargoyles, replaced the spire and lead roof, and repainted the interior, among other things. Today, the entire team follows Viollet le Duc as their guiding light. When the cathedral reopens, we will step back in time one hundred sixty years and to the church that Viollet restored. The role of any restorer, whether a painting, sculptor, or Notre Dame, is to bring back the work’s original intent. They are merely just a chapter in the story of the monument. 

The work site changes daily, and it’s so exciting to visit and find more of the building visible and scaffolding being removed. On April 15, 2019, after the fire engulfed the roof, it headed to the belfry of the north tower. There were just under thirty minutes to save the entire building. If the fire tore through the wooden belfry, the eight bells weighing more than fourteen tons would fall through the tower and take the entire facade with it.  

Luckily, the amazing firemen and women of Paris jumped into action and stopped the fire just in time. Two of the eight bells were damaged but were easily restored. On September 12, the eight bells of the north tower returned and, just this last week, were hung once again in the partially rebuilt belfry after being blessed by Bishop Olivier Dumas. 

Check out the episode we did last year, which was all about the Bells of Notre Dame.

Did you know there are 21 bells inside Notre Dame? In the North tower, there are eight; in the South, there are two, Emmanuel and Marie. Seven will return to the lower parts of the spire, and 4 in the transept attached to the four clocks on the roof of the transept and ring from 8 am to 9 pm. 

When we once again enter the cathedral, there will be a few changes. The entrance has changed from the south entrance of Sainte Anne to the central door of the Last Judgment. The visitor path begins on the north side and will focus on contemplating the biblical history of salvation. 

Every inch of the interior has been cleaned and restored. The twenty-four chapels have been touched up, and every detail created by Viollet le Duc has returned to its technicolor splendor.  While the chapel walls will remain the same, each chapel’s framed paintings and names have changed. More on that another day. 

The restoration and renaissance of Notre Dame have involved more than just the roof and walls. When the Portail du Jugement Dernier opens, the cathedral will be state-of-the-art in fire suppression, sprinklers, ventilation, and security. A new control center was created under the transept, and more than 125 miles of fireproof cables were installed that could withstand up to 1000 degrees of heat. Special air sensors will take in air and constantly test it for even the smallest abnormalities. 

Shortly after the fire, it was voted that the cathedral would return exactly how it was before the fire. Another decision was made that whatever was inside on April 14, 2019, must also return. This only referred to the art, as the furniture has all been updated. New liturgical furniture designed by Guillaume Bardet and made in bronze will grace the altar and holy water fonts. Sleek chairs will fill the nave by Ionna Vautrin with a low profile and can be used to rest the faithful’s elbows when they kneel to pray. One more piece that will be significant is Sylvain Dubuisson’s new reliquary for the Crown of Thorns. 

Listen to this week’s new episode of the podcast to hear ever more on the restoration of Notre Dame with just two months to go. And if you missed the last YouTube video walk around the Cathedral, check it out here.

Episode 226 - Victorine Meurent

Out today, another story of one of the most amazing women in French history. Victorine Meurent was born in Paris on February 18. 1844, and from an early age, she was drawn to art. In 1862, Edouard Manet walked into Thomas Couture’s studio and met a young girl. On this day, Victorine-Louis Meurent was in Couture’s studio when Manet arrived. She was just 16, had red hair, and was nicknamed La Crevette. She would become the muse for some of the biggest artists then. He would paint her for the first time in The Street Singer, with her piercing eyes that we would know so well in two of his most famous and controversial paintings.  Victorine would sit for him 8 or 9 times. 

Many may know her name because of one fantastic painting, Olympia. The painting rocked the Salon of 1863 with its suggestive subject of the courtesan lying naked on her bed while her servant brings her flowers from one of her admirers. Given the name Olympia, a name associated with prostitutes and the many small elements that hint at her wealth, many of which transferred over to the model herself. Victorine was nothing close to the woman in the painting; born to a well-established artistic family, she would become an artist and present her work at the Salon in 1870. 

However, we know her Manet paintings so well. The other most famous painting may or may not even be her. In 1862, when Manet painted Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe, another painting that would shock the art world, he may have used her as the model, but it is more likely that he used his lover Suzanne Leenhoff. However, in the end, he would use the face of Victorine to conceal the woman he was in a secret relationship with.

She would sit for him for the last time in 1873 for The Railway before they parted ways. In her own art classes, she preferred the academic style, and Manet never liked being defined by any style. 

Sadly, only two of her paintings remain at the museum in Colombes. Other than Berthe Morisot and Suzanne Valadon, Victorine is a beautiful face we know so well from Manet's brush. Listen to the entire story on the podcast; the link is in the bio.

Le Briquet, by Victorine Meurent

Episode 225 - Suzanne Valadon

Suzanne Valadon, at a very young age, worked as a model for some of the biggest French painters of the 19th C.. Meeting them on the streets of Montmartre, she would sit for Henner, Steinlen, and Toulouse-Lautrec. However, her most famous collaboration may have been with Renoir. In Danse a la Ville and Danse a Bougival, painted in 1883, Renoir used her as his model, depicting very different scenes. Valadon in La Ville is elegant and controlled, but in Bougival, she is distant; her partner looks to be trying to get her attention. Renoir loved working with her, and Toulouse-Lautrec loved working with her.

While she posed, she soaked up the techniques of each of these masters, storing them away in her mind until she picked up her own paintbrush just as she turned 30. Degas came into her life and admired her paintings and her style, encouraging her to continue and buy her paintings to 

hang in his home. 

Suzanne’s relationships are many and have overshadowed her talent for years. Marriages and a son who never knew who his father was and had a host of his own issues. Suzanne attempted suicide and alienated her biggest supporter, Degas, but still managed to cut out a life for herself. 

Today, you can still see Suzanne in Paris hanging on the Orsay and the Pompidou walls. Renoir’s Danse à la Campagne and Danse à la Ville, two of the three series, are in the Orsay. Suzanne modeled all three, but his lover Aline Charigot’s jealousy and scraping at the painting forced Renoir to change the model for la Ville to Charigot. 

Suzanne’s paintings and drawings can be found in the Pompidou. However, if you want a personal view of her life, head to the Musée de Montmartre. Her former studio and apartment are part of the museum. Walk into her studio, where her former easels, chairs, and art fills the space with its huge windows. 

Her son Maurice Utrillo spent more time as a child with her mother and would become a painter himself. He would create beautiful images when he applied himself between bouts of drinking. Suzanne would lock him into her studio, forcing him to paint. She died on April 7, 1938, and today, his paintings are remembered more than hers, but she should be recognized for all she did, even when battling her many demons.

Episode 224 - Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun

Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun is mostly known as the official painter of Queen Marie Antoinette.  

Born on April 16, 1755, in Paris on Rue Coquillière, her father, Louis Vigèe, was an artist who began teaching her to paint at a very young age. Elisabeth was just twelve years old when her father died after swallowing a fish bone. Her mother, Jeanne, remarried quickly to jeweler Jacques-François Le Sèvre, moving the family to Rue Saint-Honoré. Elisabeth wasn’t fond of her new stepfather and missed her father dearly. 

After her father's death, she began to train under Gabriel Briard, who had an atelier in the Louvre. During the day, she would train and be surrounded by the Dutch masters. Women had many restrictions at the time, and the only way to work with other artists, male or female, as a copy mix and mingle was within the walls of the Louvre. 

In 1770, at just 15 years old, she finished her first portrait of her mother. Wanting to extend her education, she enrolled in the Academy of Saint-Luc, one of the only schools that took women students. In no time, her portraits became very popular and were sought out by the upper class of Paris at just 17 years old. Her stepfather had other ideas, such as his personal piggy bank, and saw you taking all the money she made. 

Another move in 1775 took them to Rue de Cléry and to new neighbor Jean-Baptiste Le Brun, the great-nephew of French painter and man behind Versailles Charles Le Brun. Jean-Baptiste might have already been married in Holland, but that didn’t stop him from asking Elisabeth to marry him. She wasn’t in love with him, but she wanted to get away from her stepfather.  On January 11, 1776, they were married in the Église Saint Eustache. 

The same year, the Count de Provence, future Louis XVIII, commissioned her for a portrait; it was her entry into the Court of Versailles, and there was no turning back. Marie Antoinette saw her painting and loved her flattering female touch. Painting Marie Antoinette more than thirty times, but it was one portrait that would make her a household name. 

At the Salon of 1793, she entered a painting of the queen in a white muslin dress. Seeing the queen in essentially her underwear shocked everyone. Elisabeth was forced to remove the painting and replace it with a new version, this time in a blue-grey satin dress. It has become the most often-used image of the queen since. 

It wasn’t the first time she caused a stir in the artistic world. In 1786,elf-portrait hol she painted a sding her daughter Julie. The classic Madonna and Child was an often-seen subject, but this one was a bit different. Elisabeth painted her mouth slightly open and, God forbid, smiling. People were outraged, and today, it is known as one of the very first smiles in Western art.

In 1789, while at the Chateau de Louveciennes with Madame du Barry, the Sans-Culottes arrived and destroyed all her paintings. It was the start of the Revolution, and anyone associated with the crown was threatened with death. With her daughter Julie, born in 1780, they fled France for Italy while her husband remained in Paris. In Florence and Rome, she met other exiled artists and continued to paint. 

She could not return to France as her name was on the list of more than 140,000 French citizens wanted for their ties to royalty. Elisabeth and Julie stayed in Italy, at the same time sending paintings back to Paris as they were finished. Back in Paris, her husband was working as an appraiser of the royal collections that were being seized and was also able to keep an eye on his wife's paintings that were being pulled from view and did all he could to have her name removed from the list so she could return. 

On January 18, 1801, she was finally allowed to return and traveled with her old friend, the Count de Provence, now Louis XVIII, who was avoiding France and staying in London and Switzerland. Constantly reinventing herself and nibbling between sides 1805, she painted Napoleon’s sister, Caroline Murat, in Napoleon's good graces, which put her i. 

In 1809, she purchased a house outside of Paris in Louveciennes, hosted Salons, and continued to paint. In 1815, Louis XVIII took the throne in Paris and worked to restore the image of his brother Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Louis XVIII allowed Elisabeth’s portraits of the royal family to return to the walls of the Musée du Louvre, Versailles, and Fontainebleau, where they remain to this day. 

A long-awaited divorce from her husband came in 1813, and in 1819, her estranged daughter Julie died. As everyone died around her, she wrote her three-volume memoir until she lost her sight due to a brain tumor, which took her life on March 30, 1842, on Rue Saint-Lazare. 

Elisabeth's legacy is largely defined by her iconic portraits of Marie Antoinette, a testament to her ability to immortalize historical figures. However, her artistic prowess extended beyond this, as she also created numerous other captivating images, including the portrait of Hubert Robert. Of her 900 paintings, 660 were portraits, each a unique reflection of her subjects, and are now displayed in collections across the globe. 

Episode 223 - Olympe de Gouges

There are always a few women in history that are remembered for shaking things up a bit. Olympe de Gouges is definitely one of them and she did it back in the 18th century. 

Born May 7, 1748 in Montauban, Marie-Olympe Mouisset wasn’t sure who her father was. At 17 in 1765 she married Louis-Yves Aubrey de Gourges. The next year son Pierre was born and just two years after their marriage her husband was swept away in a flood. 

In 1770, she moved to Paris with her sister and became the belle of the Paris Salons. Jacques Biétrix de Rozières, a director of a military transport company, wanted to marry the lovely Olympe. Still, she knew she had more freedom as a writer and widow than married. 

Olympe began speaking up through her words and on the stage, creating her own theater company of women to perform her plays. Her first play was Zamore et Mirza, a story of slavery in the colonies that never took the stage. It was 1784, and the Comedie Francaise received death threats. The controversial play would have to wait but still send her to the Bastille. 

One play after another spoke out against women’s rights and those who couldn’t and would all lead her to her biggest accomplishment. As the Revolution neared, she supported the monarchy until the day Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette tried to escape. She had hoped MA would support the rights of women, including the freedom of speech, voting, and running for office. The Rights of Men was published in August of 1789, and two years later, Olympe would publish her own version.

The Declaration of the Rights of Women and of the Female Citizen was made public, 1791. The 17 articles were reimagined, and many were the same as the men's, just changed on September 14 gender. 

Of course, this didn’t sit well with Robespierre, who had her arrested on July 20, 1793. Five days later, she was charged with “writing works contrary to the wants and needs of the people.”  A trial followed in October, but the end was laid out long before. On November 4, 1793, she walked the scaffolding to her death by guillotine. She would be a symbol for centuries as the woman who stood up for so many and laid the path for equality.

EPisode 222 - Madame de Maintenon

Madame de Maintenon started out as Françoise d’Aubigné on November 27, 1635. Her father Constant d’Aubigne was sent to prison for gambling, killing a man in a duel, abducting a woman, counterfeiting and trying to start a rebellion against the king. While in prison, he met and married Jeanne de Cadillac, daughter of the prison director, and they had three children. Just after her birth, she was sent to live with her aunt Madame de Villette at the Château de Mursay nearby, after all a cold drafty prison wasn’t the place to raise a child.

Yes, it sounds like a Lifetime movie of the week and begs so many questions. In 1642, after Cardinal Richelieu died and Jeanne was able to convince her father to release him, the family headed for Ile Marie Galante. Constant was always after a fast buck, blew through Jeanne’s dowry, and cultivated one scheme after another. Once on the island, he abandoned his family, forcing Jeanne and her three kids to return to Paris. 

Times were tough for the family, and they were forced to beg for food on the street. Once again, her aunt stepped in and saved the family. Madame de Villette was raising the children as Protestant, and her godmother, Suzanne de Baudéan, was not having any of that and took her away. She was taken to live at the Ursuline convent on Rue Crémeaux in 1649, followed by the Ursuline convent on Rue Saint Jacques. Françoise didn’t take to convent life and had a difficult time until she became close with Sister Celeste, who looked after her and created a tight bond. 

On weekends, her godmother would take her to visit the salons and parties in Paris, where she would meet many authors, artists, and women from the court. On one visit, she met poet Paul Scarron, who was twenty-five years older than her and was suffering from Polio. They shared many letters until he asked for her hand, and they married on April 4, 1652. Due to his health, the eight short years of their marriage were spent taking care of him and lengthy talks about literature. Sadly, he passed away in 1660, and Françoise was left brokenhearted. 

Her godmother worked for Queen Anne d’Autriche and was able to convince her to continue Paul’s pension for the widowed Françoise, which would last until Anne died in 1666. Louis XIV wouldn’t agree to continue the payments, which left Françoise in need of making a large change in her life. 

After the support of friends ran out, she was about to move to Portugal to become the lady in waiting for the new queen, Marie-Françoise de Nemours, until Madame de Montespan stepped in. In a past episode, we talked about Louis XIV's mistress and her strange and terrifying life. The two women met at the Salon in the Marais, including the popular Salon held by Ninon de l'Enclos, who we have also covered in an earlier episode.  

In 1669, Montespan gave birth to the first of many illegitimate children of Louis XIV and then needed a place to go, away from the eyes of the court. Louis XIV purchased a hotel, particulier on the rue de Vaugirard, to hide the children. Montespan convinced Louis that Françoise would be a perfect caretaker to look after the children. Françoise loved them like they were her own and was involved in every aspect of their raising, even convincing Louis to make the children legitimate. He was not impressed with her at first; he thought she was a bit bossy and a little rough around the edges. 

He would change his tune after he had the children legitimized, and they all moved to Saint Germain en Laye, where she became the court governess. As a sign of appreciation for all she had done, Louis gave her a very large gift, allowing her to purchase the Chateau de Maintenon in 1675. At the same time, Louis purchased the title, and she became known as the Marquis de Maintenon. Meanwhile, her old friend Montespan was worried about the closeness between the king and the governess. 

In 1680, the Affair of the Poisons swept through court and Montespan’s reign was over and she was swiftly removed from court. Louis XIV became closer to Maintenon but she pushed him away from anything romantic or physical. The two became very close and he looked to her for guidance in every manner of the court and state upsetting his fellow ministers. 

A very devout catholic, she saw her role as saving Louis in the eyes of the church, while the rest of the court saw her as manipulative. On July 30, 1683, the queen died, and a few months later, on October 9, Louis and Montespan were married in a secret ceremony. Performed by the Archbishop of Paris François de Harlay de Champvalon and the king's confessor, Pére de la Chaise, behind the closed door of the king’s bedroom. The marriage was a morganatic one, which means she could not be recognized as queen or even be known as his official wife. 

They spent the majority of their time together in his bedroom, making state decisions and even taking meetings. The two joined forces in creating the Maison Royale de Saint-Louis in Rueil, a school for children of noble families, many of which had lost a parent to the many French conflicts. Recalling her days at the convent, she wanted to create a curriculum that would truly teach children, especially young women. 

As Louis got older, he worried his past romantic endeavors would not sit well with God, and he hoped his love of Maintenon would save him in the eyes of the church. Towards the end of his life, on August 30, 1715, Françoise was told there was little they could do for him, and he told her to leave. She retreated to her school, which was now located in nearby Saint-Cyr. 

The school was later moved closer to Versailles to Saint-Cyr, and she was there surrounded by children when she got the news of his death on September 1, 1715. She lived out the rest of her life there and would still take visitors, including Peter the Great, who came to seek her council, but noticing how quickly she had aged in the last few years.

On April 15, 1719, she died at 83 years old and was buried at Saint-Cyr, where she would remain until the Revolution. After World War II she was located and moved briefly to the Chapel of Versailles until 1969, when she was once again returned to Saint-Cyr, which was now a military school created by Napoleon.

Episode 221 - Hemingway and the Liberation of Paris

Hemingway was staying in the city of Rambouillet, 27 miles SW of Paris, with his makeshift troop of men, which was composed of Americans and FFI soldiers. As the days to the Liberation of Paris got closer, he wanted to head back to the center of the action and celebration. A convoy of soldiers, including Hem, headed towards the City of Light. 

Just after Noon, Hemingway and his band of men crossed into Paris over the Seine at the Pont de Sèvres. It was August 25. 1944, and the drive into the city was filled with people standing along the road cheering the soldiers as they passed by. His first stop was to see a dear friend, Sylia Beach. Living at 18 Rue de l’Odeon, Hemingway came barreling down the street, yelling out her name. Sylvia ran down the street, brought her dear friend upstairs to the 4th floor, and wondered what he could do for her.  Sylvia and Adrienne asked him if he could remove the Germains still firing from the roofs of the Odeon.  Hemingway returned to his liberated Mercedes, grabbed some men and guns, and returned to the roof of her building. Gunfire was heard for a few minutes, and then total silence; Odeon was liberated, and the nightmare was over. 

The story of where he went next is a story many “think” they know. 

As the story goes, Hem wanted to be the first American to liberate the Ritz and asked General Leclerc for men and weapons. Leclerc told him to “buzz off,” but he wasn’t to be deterred. With his driver, Sergeant Red Pelky, and a handful of soldiers and journalists, they swung into the door of the Ritz. With machine guns in hand, he saw manager Claude Auzello and asked where the Germans were. “Monsieur, they left long ago”. He invited them in but had to leave the machine guns in the Mercedes.  

Hem and his men marched into the Ritz Bar and instructed the barman to make them the Montgomery Martini: 17 parts Gin, 1 part Vermouth, which is how British Marshal Montgomery liked to face his Germans: 17 men to 1 German. Everyone tells the story that Hem himself drank 51 of these alone. In fact, his entire party drank them together. The Bar Hemingway was named in 1994 in the space that was the former ladies’ bar.

Listen to the full episode of Hemingway in the Liberation of Paris and other myths here

Episode 221 - Women of the Resistance

On this week's new episode of Paris History Avec a Hemingway on La Vie Creative Podcast we share the stories of a few of the bravest women in French history. During WWII many women stood up to fight for France in any way they could and for many years they were left far from the pages of history.

Marie Madeleine Fourcade, born November 8, 1909, followed the path of most young girls. Attending the Couvent des Oiseaux, where all good girls went to become the perfect wife. At 18 she married Colonel Méric and five children quickly followed. Being a wife and mother was not all she hoped and dreamed it would be and became a journalist at first for the Vichy papers. When she realized what was truly behind the far-right movement she moved into the Resistance. 

In 1939 she met George Loustaunau-Lacau, a high-ranking official and friend of Charles De Gaulle, and became his chief of staff of the Alliance Resistance.  By 1940 they had to go underground. Marie would become the head of the Alliance and recruited over 1500 people to serve in the network as pilots, curriers, and radio operators. Known as Hedgehog, she was fearless and faced death every day. When the Germans figured out who she was and found her in a chateau and arrived to arrest her, she convinced them she needed to take a bath first. When the officers went outside to smoke she slipped out the door and made her way to Lyon. 

Arrested in November 1942 she was able to escape on the way to the Castres prison thanks to a few compliant officers. With each attack on the Alliance, she would constantly rebuild the network time after time. Highly decorated after the war she would live a long life until 1989. 

Cécile-Rol-Tanguy was born on April 10, 1919, in Royan to activist parents. During the start of WWII, she was a  “godmother of war”, essentially a pen pal, to a young soldier named Henri Tanguy.  The two finally met face-to-face and were married on April 19, 1939. In 1940 they moved to Paris and began working underground for the Resistance. She strolled through checkpoints with her baby stroller that could be filled with guns, money, and grenades. Changing her name and paper she was always one step ahead of the Germans. 

When the war ended and de Gaulle arrived in Paris and marched down the Champs Élysées he held a reception in the Hotel de Ville. Cécile was the only woman in attendance and this was only because of her husband. After WWII she was a Friend of the Fighting Spanish and when Francois Holland wanted to award her for her bravery she declined, at first. Eventually, she decided she would accept it but only on behalf of all of the women who had fought in the resistance.

After the war, she and Henri continued their commitment to the fight against fascism. With her daughter she led Les Amis des combattants de l'Espagne république and lived to the age of 101. 

Simone Segouin could be the most recognized of the ladies of the Resistance. Her father worked in the Resistance as well as in the local government. She was just 16 years old and dared to blow up bridges, lay traps, and damage German villages. In Chartres, she stole a bicycle, repainted it, and spent a year riding all over the Loire delivering messages.  On August 23, 1944, she took part in the Liberation of Chartres and two days later arrived in Paris for the big fight, the Liberation of Paris. It was on the streets of Paris that her most famous image was shot. A young girl standing against a wall holding a large German machine gun taken from a soldier. 

This moment was captured on film by photographer Jack Belden and was featured in Life Magazine making her the most famous image of the Resistance. After the war, she became a nurse, had six children, and never married. When she was offered the Legion of Honor award and at first refused but was later accepted in 2021. Simone lived to be 97 years old on February 21, 2023

Such amazing acts of bravery throughout France that we can honor 80 years later. 

Listen to the full story and a few other ladies in this week’s episode out now