Episode 6 - Dalida

Iolanda “Dalida”  Gigliotti was born in Egypt to Italian parents in 1933.  The young beauty would be named Miss Egypt in 1954 and a few months after she headed to Paris. Dalida, one of the biggest international stars at a young age, was in awe of Rita Hayworth when she saw her in her iconic role Gilda. With the help of radio host Lucien Morisse her songs began to play on the radio and in a few short years she had her first big hit, Bambino. Before long she was performing on the Olympia stage with Charles Anzavour. Recording songs in French, German, Italian, Spanish she would tour the world for decades.

The major star of the stage, known for her amazing outfits was barely known in the United States, turning down major contracts. Her tragic love life on the other hand left her broken and depressed with one partner after another killing themselves. Sadly her own life would end in her Montmartre home when she couldn’t take it anymore. On May 3, 1987 she would overdose on pills washed down with whisky.  

Today she is remembered with a bust in the Place Dalida at the base of the winding road in the shadow of Sacre Coeur. Created in 1997 on the ten year anniversary of her death by Alain Aslan, it is customary to give her a little rub for good luck. Aslan also created the life size statue for her grave in the Montmartre cemetery, with a gold sun as a halo behind her, also evoking an Egyptian tomb of a queen.  To visit her home, follow the small Rue d’Orchcampt  and just as the road bends look up to the white house with its wonderful windows. 

I first became fascinated by Dalida after seeing an exhibition at the Palais Galliera of her years of costumes. From the young girl and her sweet dresses to the international star in all her glitz and glamour.

 Learn more about Dalida in the fantastic podcast that I teamed up with my friend @missparisphotos on, @laviecreative and the new Paris History avec a Hemingway. Each week focusing on fantastic female artists that left their mark on Paris. And when you stroll the streets of Montmartre and you come across Dalida, give her a little rub for luck.

Support my writing and stories of Paris by joining my Patreon page and get lots of extra goodies including discounts on my tours in Paris, trip planning and custom history just for you. Patreon link in bio.

Episode 5 - Marie Antoinette the Final Moments and the Daughter that Lived On

In the last episode in our series of Marie Antoinette we are in the final moments of her life. Convicted and sentenced to death they didn’t give her much time. In the early hours of the morning she wrote a long letter to her sister in law Madame Elisabeth asking her to look after her children. The letter would never be delivered. 

At 8am on October 16, 1793 a priest arrived at her cell followed by the executioner, Samson. She was dressed in a simple white dress from her dressmaker Rose Bertin and her best black satin shoes. Samson cut her hair short, tied her hands behind her with a rope and led her up the stairs to a cart in the courtyard of the court house. Her husband Louis XVI was taken in a carriage, but Marie Antoinette sat in an open cart, seated next to the priest. 

The streets were lined ten people deep on the entire route as they slowly meandered through the streets. In the window of the Café de la Régence on the corner of Rue Saint-Honoré artist Jacques-Louis David sketched the last known image of the queen as she went by inching closer to the guillotine. 

Arriving at the Place de la Revolution, she walked up the scaffolding and stepped on the executioner's foot. Her last words were “I am sorry sir, I did not mean to put it there”. At 12:15pm on October 16, 1793 the blade fell and her life was over. Her body and her head were placed in a coffin and tossed into the Madeleine cemetery. 

The Dauphin of France, Louis XVI would die in jail as her daughter Marie-Thérèse Charlotte was in the cell below him. She would remain in jail until December 19, 1795 when she was sent to Austria in exchange for French prisoners. Dressed in black and mourning the death of her family she kept to herself living in the former home of her mother. Axel von Fersen would pay her a visit and she slowly began to smile again. Spending the days with her younger cousins she regained a bit of happiness. 

The Vienna court wanted to marry her off to the Emperor's brother but she had her own ideas. She wanted to marry her cousin Louis-Antoine d'Artois, the Duke of Angouleme and son of her uncle Charles X. Russian Emperor Paul I stepped in and convinced the Vienna court to let her marry who she wished. 

Her uncle Louis XVIII was now in exile and Madame Royale as she was known followed him around Europe while her husband was away. In 1814 during the Restoration she was finally allowed to return to France. As soon as she arrived she asked to be taken to her parents graves. A kindly neighbor watched over their spot they tossed her parents in and when Louis XVIII arrived he let them know where they were. The next year Louis XVIII ordered the construction of the Chapelle Expiatoire to be built on the site. Marie-Thérèse would visit every day and would personally pay for two statues of her parents. 

Marie-Thérèse traveled all over France as Madame Royale even when her uncle Louis XVIII fled to Belgium. Trying to rally the people as Napoleon made his way back to France, she would even give the women of the villages the ribbons and feathers off her own dress. Napoleon hadn’t been up against many people, especially a woman like her before and said she was the only “man” in the Bourbon family. She eventually fled France and headed to England. After Waterloo, Louis XVIII returned to France with Marie-Thérèse at his side, stepping into the role of queen following the death of his wife. The people loved her, although she was always reminded of what they did to her parents.  In 1816 her brother in law married the Duchess de Berry, a young, fun and sexy reminder of the future, while Marie-Thérèse was a reminder of the past. 

In 1823, Louis XVIII died and her other uncle Charles X took the throne, she was now the Dauphine of France. On August 2, 1830 when he abdicated she was for 3 minutes the queen of France. Louis-Philippe d’Orleans took the throne and ousted her once again.  Leaving for Italy with Charles X and her husband they settled into a quiet life. As for the Duchess de Berry, now a widow she traveled to France to try to gather some favor for Charles X.  Fleeing arrest she hid in a fireplace and was discovered when her dress caught on fire and her screams could be heard. She was also pregnant and unwed and ousted from the Bourbon family. Her children were sent to live with Marie-Thérèse who spent her time educating them on the principles of the ancient regime. 

She and her husband had a wonderful marriage but never any children of their own. He would die in 1844 at the age of 64. On October 16, 1851 on the 58th anniversary of her mother's death after attending mass she returned to her bed and died three days later. According to her wishes she was buried with her husband and her uncle in the small monastery of Nova Gorica laying on a slab of French stone. 

Support my writing and stories of Paris by joining my Patreon page and get lots of extra goodies including discounts on my tours in Paris, trip planning and custom history just for you. Patreon link in bio.

Episode 4- Marie Antoinette From the Palace to the Guillotine

Out today for your listening pleasure on La Vie Creative Podcast, Paris History Avec A Hemingway, part trois in our series on Marie Antoinette.  When we left off in part deux, Marie was embroiled in the Affair of the Diamond Necklace which led to her downfall although she had nothing to do with it. Part trois began in Spring 1789, when the Estate General opened with an attack on the queen, it was going to go downhill from here.  

On June 4th upon the death of their son, they were not able to be with him when he died or attend his funeral at the Basilique Saint Denis due to the optics of spending more of the state's money. 

On October 1 and 3, two large parties were held for the king's guards and the Flanders Regiments. While the people of Paris were starving and unable to get bread, a lavish dinner at Versailles was the final straw. Before dawn on October 5, a large group met in front of the Hotel de Ville. Breaking in and stealing more than 600 weapons a group largely made up of women took off from Paris. In the pouring rain for over 5 hours they walked in the mud arriving at Versailles. Demanding to be let into the National Assembly their spokesperson Stanislas Maillard read their demands of wheat, floor and to stop blocking the route into Paris. They agreed and took it to Louis XVI to sign. The king agreed and we could be done with this story, but we know it ends differently. 

Overnight the crowd gathered outside grew restless, the guards pushed back. The crowd rushed the palace, killing the queens guards and calling out her name. The royal family would agree to go with the crowd back to Paris. Moved to the Palais des Tuileries where they can be watched closely. Things went along for two years until June 20, 1791 when they decided to escape. The Flight to Varennes, the escape to freedom would begin with one delay after another and end with their return to Paris. After being recognized from a coin with the image of Louis XVI in the small town of Viels-Maisons. On June 22 they would return to the Tuileries, this time closely watched. 

On August 10, 1792 the Tuileries were stormed, the Swiss guards were killed and the royal family sent running for their life through the garden. Arriving at the National Assembly, the king was given wine and treated like a king. Marie and her children were put into a small locked room. That night as they ran, the monarchy slipped through their fingers. The next day they were sent to the Temple prison and in a few short months the king would be killed. 

On January 21, 1793 with the sounds of canons in the distance Marie Antoinette, her sister in law and their two children knew their dad was dead. 

In the summer her children would be taken from her, Marie would be taken to the “antechamber of death” the  Conciergerie in August. After a failed attempt to break her out, she was moved to a tighter cell. In October in a sham of a trial, she was convicted and sentenced to death. The next morning she was taken on a cart through the city of Paris and to her death in the Place de la Revolution, today's Place de la Concorde. 

Coming up next week, part 4, the only surviving member of the royal family.

Support my writing and stories of Paris by joining my Patreon page and get lots of extra goodies including discounts on my tours in Paris, trip planning and custom history just for you. Patreon link in bio.

Episode 3-Marie Antoinette, Marriage Bed to the Necklace Affair

Episode 3- Marie Antoinette Part Deux. 

The marriage bed to a necklace that brought down a queen 

When we left off in last week's podcast episode, part une of Marie Antoinette she had just married Louis XVI and became the Dauphine of France. Just 14 years old, embarking on a life and the future queen of France with a tragic end we know so well. 

On the night of May 16, following a long day of ceremony and parties the young couple took to their bed. The bed was blessed by the Archbishop while members of the court watched, closing the curtain the two were left somewhat alone. However, nothing would happen, nothing would happen for seven years. 

The issues in the bedroom was the talk of France and even past its borders. How can the now king rule from the throne if he couldn’t even give the country an heir. Marie Antoinette’s mother was also quite concerned and let her know what her important role was. During this time to avoid the constant rejection of her husband she turned to friends, parties, all night gambling. The rumors began to turn to her and how she spent her time. 

Finally after seven long years the marriage was consummated and the next year their first child was born. Marie-Therese Charlotte, born in 1851. Not the male heir apparent, but a beautiful baby girl. Spending the days with her mother at the Petit Trianon and the Hamlet, living a quiet life away from the watchful eyes. 

Three more children would bless the couple, Louis Joseph in 1781, the Dauphin who would die before he turned 8, Louis Charles born in 1785, a life that would have a tragic end and Marie Sophie in 1786 that would die in 1787. 

The talk of the spending of the court while the coffers were empty was picking up momentum in France. Marie Antoinette’s shopping for dresses, shoes and jewelry didn’t play out well when people were starving. She became the perfect unknowing victim of a plot that would be her downfall. 

Jeanne de la Motte would use this to her advantage. In 1772 King Louis XV wanted to have a necklace made for his mistress Madame du Barry and asked jewelers Boehmer & Bassange to create a lavish gift. Taking years to gather the more than 600 diamonds needed, Louis XV would die before it was finished. Left with a very expensive necklace on their hands without being paid they reached out to Louis XVI thinking he would want to buy it for his queen. With a very high price tag, the queen refused telling her husband “we have more need of 24 ships”. However, it could also be that she never liked Du Barry and didn’t want to have anything intended for her. 

Jeanne de la Motte was a young woman who was the illegitimate descendant of Henri II. Her father had lost his money and she wanted to take back what she thought they deserved. Mistress of the Cardinal Rohan (remember him from Part One), who had a falling out with the Queen and her mother was desperate to get back into her good graces. Jeanne told him she was friends with the Queen and that if he wrote her a letter she would get it to her. Jeanne had another agenda. She answered the letters herself, posing as the Queen and when he begged to have a private meeting with the Queen she hired a prostitute at the Palais Royal to impersonate the Queen and met him in the Grove of Venus at Versailles. 

Once word had spread throughout Paris, the jewelers reached out to Jeanne in hopes to appeal to Marie Antoinette and to buy the necklace.  Jeanne told Rohan that the Queen wanted the necklace but needed someone to get it for her. Jeanne forged a letter and a purchase order for the necklace and he took it to Boehmer. Handing over the necklace to Rohan, he then took it to meet Jeanne and what he thought was one of the Queen’s valets. It was Jeanne’s husband who promptly took the necklace, broke it apart and sent the jewels around Europe to be sold. 

Months went by and when Boehmer still hadn’t been paid he went to the court with the order signed by the Queen. She had never seen it before. Rohan was arrested in the Hall of Mirrors, would go on trial and be found innocent. Jeanne de la Motte would also be arrested, sentenced to prison but would break out one day dressed as a boy and flee to London. 

For the Queen who was innocent in the plot, it was too late. It only fed into the rumors of her excess. People even thought she orchestrated the entire thing to get back at Rohan. The Affair of the Diamond Necklace led to her final fall that was to come in just a few years. 

Today that necklace would be worth over $15 million dollars and held 2800 carats and 685 diamonds. When I saw a replica at the exhibit at the Conciergerie I gasped, but then again I love an over the statement piece. 

Be sure to listen to the episode for even more 

Coming up next Monday, Part Troi, Marie Antoinette. The Final Years  

Support my writing and stories of Paris by joining my Patreon page and get lots of extra goodies including discounts on my tours in Paris, trip planning and custom history just for you. Patreon link in bio.

Episode 2- Marie Antoinette, from Vienna to Dauphine

Episode 2- Marie Antoinette, From Vienna to Dauphine 

Born in Vienna in 1755, she was the 15th of 16 children to Empress Marie-Theresa and Francis I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.  Spending her days at Schönbrunn Palace running and playing with her brothers and sisters until at the age of 11 it was decided she would marry the next king of France, the Dauphin Louis-Auguste. 

Her mother was very strong and tried to instill the virtues her daughter would need to be as a queen. Marie Antoinette wasn’t that willing of a participant and had a short attention span for anything she didn’t like, a problem that would haunt her until her last days. 

After the death of Francis I, Marie-Theresa was able to do what she wanted. With hopes of finally uniting France and Austria and ending years of conflict, she offered her daughter's hand to Louis XV. It would take three years and some convincing of Louis XV but after dispatching his own people to be sure she was ready, at the age of 14, Marie-Antoinette was on her way to France. 

On May 7, she arrived at the banks of the Rhine for the “surrender of the wife”. Stepping into a lavish tent she walked in one side representing Austria, stripped all her belongings and clothes and redressed in  the finest French clothes and emerged as the Dauphine. 

Marie Antoinette wanted to stop for mass in Strasbourg. With the Bishop away, a clergy member greeted her, his name was Louis-Prince de Rohan. Rohan will come back into her life later in a key moment that contributed to her downfall. She would finally meet her husband on May 14, just two days before their lavish wedding at Versailles. 

Listen to even more on our newest episode of La Vie Creative, Paris History Avec A Hemingway.

I’ve also added some of my favorite Marie Antoinette books in the Boutique.

Support my writing and stories of Paris by joining my Patreon page and get lots of extra goodies including discounts on my tours in Paris, trip planning and custom history just for you. Patreon link in bio.

Episode 1- Suzanne Valadon

Our first episode focuses on the fascinating life of muse and artist Suzanne Valadon

Danse à la ville & Danse à la campagne by Renoir

Suzanne Valadon at a very young age would work 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. Although her most famous collaboration may have been with Renoir. In Danse a la Ville and Danse a Bougival both 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 as did Toulouse-Lautrec.

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 years old. Degas came into her life and admired her paintings and her style, encouraging her to continue and bought her paintings to hang in his home. 

Young girl in front of a window by Suzanne Valadon 1930

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

Musée de Montmartre

Today you can still see Suzanne in Paris hanging on the walls of the Orsay and the Pompidou.  Renoir’s Danse à la campagne et Danse à la Ville, two in the series of the three are in the Orsay. All three were modeled by Suzanne but the jealous rage of his lover Aline Charigot and her scraping at the painting forced Renoir to change the model for la Ville to Charigot. 

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

To learn more about Suzanne, check out Catherine Hewitt’s fantastic book about Suzanne Valadon. Renoirs Dancer: The Secret Life of Suzanne Valadon.

Buy on Amazon

Listen to our first episode here, so excited to share it with you

Support my writing and stories of Paris by joining my Patreon page and get lots of extra goodies including discounts on my tours in Paris, trip planning and custom history just for you. Patreon link in bio.