A description of Paris between the years 1787-1789. An Englishman visits Paris and this is what he had to say...
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
A Day In 18th-century Paris
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| "Le Pont Neuf" The oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris. |
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Paris, circa 1780, would have been an ideal situation for an avid people-watcher. Busy, lively streets, everyone with something to do and somewhere to go. I found a rich description of a typical day that might pass by in eighteenth-century Paris. It makes it easy to imagine all the sights and sounds...Nicolas Raguenet: 18th century Paris along the Seine
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| Nicolas Raguenet, The Fire of the Hotel-Dieu in 1772. c1772, oil painting on canvas. Musee Carnavalet. |
Some of Raguenet magnificant 18th century cityscapes.
Travel Tuesday: 18th century places, people and parties
Stuck at home? Work? Or are you staying in to escape the northeastern heat waves?I have a huge folder called places and it is one of my favorite files of images. I put together this video of places from the 18th century. Starting in the country and areas just outside Paris, are images of people busy, moving through streets, farms or markets.
After this the images change from black and white to color, with ladies moving through promenades, to parties and card games. The trip ends with several grand buildings.
So consider this your 5 minute 'escape' on an otherwise slow Tuesday!
The Case of Gabrielle de Launay
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| Anonymous, Woman with Flowers. 18th century, Material oil on canvas. Villa La Pietra. |
And now for an 18th century tale of love, separation and death! Gentle reader, this may upset your sensibilities, but the case of Gabrielle de Launay was brought to the High Court of Paris, and sparked a great public interest. I would love to hear what you think of this one.
The story begins in the mid 18th century, with the beautiful Gabrielle de Launay, daughter of M. de Launay. At just 18 years old, she was not only beautiful and elegant but also in love. She was betrothed to Captain Maurice de Serres, and the couple were very fond of each other. The wedding was to be a happy affair and just before all was to take place, Maurice de Serres was called away to India for duty.
Fearing that he would lose his beloved daughter, or worse, she would not survive the trip, M. de Launay postponed the marriage until the Captain's safe return to Paris. Both young lovers were devastated at her father's decision, and with tears and broken hearts, they parted.
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| Norry, Croquis de l'Église de St Roch, 1787. |
Two long years passed before word was sent to Paris that Maurice de Serres had died while in India. Anxious that his daughter should marry, for she was now twenty years old, he arranged a match with a M. du Bourg. He was much older than Gabrielle (nearly 30 years) and a lawyer, who had both money and reputation.
Five years later, a man arrived in Paris, Captain Maurice de Serres, his death, as it turned out, had falsely been reported. Shortly after his arrive he passed the church of San Roch, where a grand funeral service was being held. He made inquiries as any curious party might, to discover the tragic funeral was for a young and beautiful lady, no older than 25.
She has fallen ill and laid sick for two days before perishing. She was Madame du Bourg, née de Launay! After making more inquiries he discovered this Gabrielle was his very own, and she had fallen ill two days ago resulting in a sudden death. His heart sunk.
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| Richard Wilson, Head of a man. Drawing. Victoria and Albert Museum. |
That night, the young captain, crazed with grief, approached the sexton of the cemetery. He offered a large amount of gold, if he would exhume the recently buried box, only so that he could see his love's features one last time. Unable to resist the bribe, the sexton agreed, and when they unearthed the coffin, they broke the locks to open it....
Coronation of Louis XII
As he entered the city with both royal and city officials, he was dressed in dazzling armor, representing himself as both a military and government leader. One supports the other, and the overall image was of a powerful man whose authority was not doubted.
He also had an overly elaborate tableau displaying a working of icons to represent his family. He had inherited the throne from his late cousin, Henry VIII. He claimed two titles as both King of France and the Duke of Milan, and his tableau reinforced his family’s roots in Milan through heraldic imagery.
Having this large image on display during his parade told the people of France (literate or illiterate) this proud and powerful ruler can rightfully claim both France and Milan. And what a way to make a statement! The little sensitive spot, lay with the current Duke of Milan! Ludovico Sforza. oops? It did not take long before Louis XII made his move. He entered Milan in 1499, and successfully captured it, much celebrating ensued!
Names sound familiar? We have recently met this Duke of Milan in The Borgias (watch full episodes here) I have been watching the entire season, well made, great art references and overall a well done historical drama.
Exhibition: Paris: Life & Luxury
If you have ever wanted to step back in time and visit 18th century France at its best, now is your chance. The Getty is hosting an exhibition called Paris: Life & Luxury. Life & Luxury is all about the insane impact the French culture had on the rest of the world; the exhibition sets out to prove why that was. The exhibition features pieces from 18th century France, and the timeline set up is what really transports the visitor.As you pass through the exhibition, you walk through a day essentially, of an 18th century wealthy Parisian. You are surrounded by all the little splendors and necessities needed for the day. There will be furniture, art, architectural fittings, instruments and more.
"The exhibition will be a rich and deep sensory experience, engaging the viewer's initial attention with the compelling visual appeal of superlative and virtuoso works of art. From this breadth and diversity, visitors will learn generally about the contributions of the French, and in particular the Parisian, to the visual and performing arts, language, literature, history, science, and even culinary arts during this time period—in short, about their major contribution to the humanities at large."
Charissa Bremer-David, co-curator, Paris: Life & Luxury
The exhibition is travelling, and will only be on view for limited times.
- J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles: 26 April - 27 August 2011
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: 18 September - 10 December 2011
If you cannot make it to the show, you can now pre-order the exhibitions accompanying book, Paris: Life & Luxury in the Eighteenth Century
. The book discusses aspects from the show and of course, life in 18th century France. Some topics of interest are 18th century fashion, the latest in technology, ritual of the morning toilette, and my favorite: architecture for privacy! Did I mention it features many wonderful full color images of the artifacts from the show?
Outside Versailles: Wood
Other types of 'attacks' on property included an assault on the Abbey of Saint Denis. The great abbey, final home of France's late kings and queens, sat among many acres of woodland.
Those who lived near the abbey took to cutting down the trees around it, without any permission, of course. Cart after cart were filled with the trunks of aged trees and hauled off the property quite illegally. The horse drawn carts made no secret of their cargo, and the wood was transported to villages such as Tremblay and Vert Galant. The wood was sold there on the public market while wood rangers (those who supplied wood) were threatened with physical harm.
An estimate on the damages caused by the attack on the woodlands of Saint Denis was 60,000 livres! Similar property 'attacks' occurred elsewhere; no attention paid to whose property was being meddled with.
Reading Material: The Queen's Dollmaker
I had not considered the role of dolls in the 18th century until I received a very welcomed heads up from author Christine Trent who has done her own extensive research on the fascinating subject. I found her new book, The Queen's Dollmaker
, an absolutely delightful read, both due to the plot and all the great information packed between the covers. From start to finish you will get a glimpse of both the domestic and business cultures of the 18th century. The book covers the intriguing process of doll-making and follows the main character, Claudette Laurent, as she chooses 'survival' in a very rough world.My first introduction to Claudette left mixed feelings. I found her easy to relate too, but before getting to know her better she was faced with many challenges and I thought perhaps I cannot relate to her at all! Circumstances arrived so quickly for the young daughter of a shop keeper that I found myself wishing I had the opportunity to know what life was like for Claudette before her world was turned upside down. Fortunately Trent includes small bits of her early life throughout the story, painting a picture of the doll shop as well as the blossoming of a very important romance.
What I like about Claudette is that she is flawed and as I read I kept thinking she was a blond mix between Lizzy Bennet and Scarlett O'Hara. She makes mistakes but is insistently a strong girl who grows into an equally strong and wiser woman. She is in love, makes friends, and essentially finds a family in a very rough world. But my favorite part: her trade. Claudette grew up in a doll shop her father kept, and he was very, very good. As Claudette makes her way through life we learn about the entire process of constructing these historic creations, from the selection of wood, the carving, painting, designing of garments and even a bit about movable limbs.
Claudette's story takes her to England, but the story shifts to France quite often as we are updated with events unfolding on the continent. I read these parts as 'French moments' because suddenly, between Claudette's tale, you are in France. These moments occur periodically throughout the story showing the revolution as it affects Marie Antoinette, including little details from Antoinette's daily life at Versailles, her time with friends, and later at the Tuileries Palace in Paris where she lived as a captive. These glimpses into Antoinette's routine would be of interest to anyone with a budding curiosity of the doomed queen. I was so often deeply involved with Claudette's story I did not want to read an Antoinette update, but Trent does well at providing a great deal of detail in such small parts. My favorite French moment was when Antoinette took lunch in at her petit Hameau. I felt like I was there, (wouldn't that be wonderful?) among the tall grass and breezy weather, having delicate little fancies with Mrs. B herself.
Trent, Christine. 2010. The queen's dollmaker. New York: Kensington Books. ISBN 9780758238573
Released December 2009, available at
Exhibition: Napoleon III and Paris
Tuileries Palace, Burned, 1871, from Les Ruines de Paris et de ses Environs 1870–1871 If you missed the Napoleon III and Paris Exhibition then do not fret! You can view select images from it on the Metropolitan Museum website. Here is the link.
"This dossier photography exhibition will focus on the changing shape of Paris during the Second Empire, when the city’s narrow streets and medieval buildings gave way to the broad boulevards and grand public works that still define the urban landscape of the French capital."
"This dossier photography exhibition will focus on the changing shape of Paris during the Second Empire, when the city’s narrow streets and medieval buildings gave way to the broad boulevards and grand public works that still define the urban landscape of the French capital."
Napoleon III and Paris Exhibition, Met Museum
On Paris....
"All that we read in Holy Writ of the excesses that were punished by the deluge, and of the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, does not eve approach the life that is led in Paris. . . . Nothing is more rare than religious belief: no one is ashamed of vice . . . and if the King were asked to punish all those who deserved it, he would have neither princes, nobles or servants left . . . no house in France would be out of mourning. . . "From a letter written by a foreign lady living in Paris back home to Germany
Paris Travel: To Cab or Not to Cab?
If you were visiting Paris in the 18th century, you would be in luck! It was possible to navigate the city by purchasing maps and following the clearly labeled streets. (Street names were carved into the buildings on corners.) Of course it was not a very wise idea to walk, as it was dangerous and dusty. The economical way to travel would be renting a cab!Cabs were great because they were a steal at 1 livre 10 sous/hour! The cab system in
Paris was pretty well pulled together. Every cab was numbered. There was a central station where you could go i you lost items on the ride, and they were usually there! necessaires, feathers, corsets...The only cons of a cab were that they were not very safe. One might get that rush in their stomachs wondering "did I make the right choice" after the cab has taken off. If you are not second guessing whether or not you should have rented a coach, and a little danger doesn't bother you, then the only other thing you would have to get past is the lack of cleanliness! (grimy!) And I am not talking dust here. These cabs were infamous for being just filthy. But cheap and quick. Your call!
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