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And here's a few things to read...
On December 19, 1848, Emily Bronte died at Haworth
Goodbye to Sophie Kinsella (I loved "Shopaholic")
Why are all the lonely girls going to Paris? (well, who wouldn't!)
Rare public display of Mary Queen of Scot's final letter
Some of the best (and worst) Christmas songs of all time
Some of the best Christmas perfumes
The Wales' cute Christmas card
How Gen Z is re-writing the rules of wine
2000 year old Roman face cream
A "Debo" Devonshire fashion collection from Erdem!
Must-see films that celebrate Paris
Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815
In the meantime, here's some fun reads...
"Liberty Leading the People" returns to the Louvre after restoration
Artists to know from the SWAIA Native Fashion Week
Lavinia Fontana portrait joins museum collection
CJ Sansom, "Shardlake" author, dies (this is so sad! I love these books, and the TV series is just now dropping)
Queen Mary of Denmark debuts a stunning emerald tiara
American IT girls in Paris, a century ago
A life-size replica of the Bayeux Tapestry
Hooray, time for summer clothes! And sales
(I'm also hoping to have some more "Heroine of the Week" posts soon! Let me know who you might like to see profiled)
The opulent film locations of "The Gilded Age"
How protect your local library (from Ask a Manager, a wonderful advice site!)
A designer lover's guide to Venice
The British Library digitizes its collection of Chaucer
Yesterday was the anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt (how did films get the battle right or wrong?)
Birthplace of the Bronte sisters goes up for sale
12 best things to do in Santa Fe
They said it was a masterpiece...when they thought a man painted it
The Francophile gift guide (for the Francophile in the your life, cough cough, me)
If you're in need of some diversion for a few minutes, here's some reading:
12 best things to do in Santa Fe
They said it was a masterpiece--when they thought a man painted it
Want the Empress Sissi look? Jewels go to auction
In John Singer Sargent's Portraits, the Fashion Comes First
BBC to broadcast show celebrating 400th anniversary of the First Folio
Five beautiful secret gardens in Paris
Chloe Zhao to direct film adaptation of "Hamnet" (I loved this book...)
Secondhand bookshop inside a ghost station
The New York Public Library's Last, Secret Apartments
And a lovely review of "A Manhattan Heiress in Paris" !!!
Inside the billion dollar effort to clean up the Seine
Bookstores are a "recession proof" business
The world of the Parisian salons
Rare early letter from Jane Austen to her sister goes up for sale
Notre-Dame Cathedral will open in early 2024
Dole Whips Will Soon Be at Your Grocery Store!
7 Pre-Raphaelite Works by Elizabeth Siddall
Adults are rediscovering the joys of ballet (I took ballet for years and years when I was younger, and bought myself a portable barre and found online classes during covid lockdowns! It's been amazing)
Woman completes aim to sample a scone at every National Trust property (my dream job!)
Victorian widows and governesses
The Louvre has put its entire collection online free
Indie bookstores benefit your local economy
The famous country houses of literature
Tips for finding high-quality bargain wines (my sommelier husband says this is great!)
39 movies that will transport you to Paris
National Trust showcases recycled fashion
February 16--birth of Princess (later Queen) Mary Tudor
Meet the oldest dog! (a 30 year old Very Good Boy!)
Notre Dame restoration reveals lost medieval burials
Most transportive historical dramas to watch for Valentine's Day (a bit late, but still some great movies for anytime!)
A look back at Harlem Renaissance Fashions
On writing desire in the Regency years
Shakespeare's best and worst couples (according to Folger Shakespeare Library)Some pre-orders are 25% off at Barnes and Noble right now, including "A Manhattan Heiress in Paris"! I absolutely loved writing this book. Paris! Jazz! A hero I swooned for! I hope readers love it, too...
Princess Thyra of Denmark's tiara is up for auction
Jane Austen and the Rules of the Marriage Game
The death of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of England (Nov. 17)
Best bustles in The Age of Innocence
How to spend the perfect Christmas in Paris
7 signs you might be stuck in a cozy mystery series
Paris's Missing Palace and the Making of the Louvre
Antique Dog Portraits in Photography
Trailblazing Female Artist/Botanist of the 17th Century
Things You Should Know About Zozobra (it's Fiestas time here in Santa Fe!)
Unseen Charles Dickens Letters
New adaptation of "A Gentleman in Moscow"
The
Louvre started in the 12th century, as a fortress built by Phillipe II.
Remnants of the fortress are still visible in below-ground galleries.
The building was then extended several times, until in 1674 Louis XIV
moved his court to the Palace of Versailles, leaving the Louvre mainly
as a place to display some of the royal collections. During the
Revolution, the National Assembly decreed the former palace a museum of
the people (“a place for bringing together monuments of the arts and
sciences”). It opened with an exhibit of 537 paintings, most of them
seized from royal and Church property.
Under
Napoleon, the collections expanded greatly, thanks to works sent back
from Egypt, Spain, Austria, Holland, and Italy. After his defeat at
Waterloo, many former owners sought their return, which the Louvre’s
administrators were, er, reluctant to comply with. In response, many of
the restored foreign powers sent diplomats to seek out these works and
secure their return. (An echo of this was seen just before World War
II, when, on August 27, 1939, a long truck convoy left Paris taking
countless objects and paintings to new hiding spots. By December, the
museum was entirely cleared except for items too heavy or
“insignificant” to be moved. In 1945, the art came back).
The
Louvre is best known for objects such as the Venus de Milo, Nike of
Samothrace, the Apollo Belvedere, Michelangelo’s “Slaves” sculptures,
David’s Coronation of Napoleon (I stood in front of this for a long time studying the gowns!), Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, Vermeer’s The Lacemaker, and of course Mona Lisa.
What are some of your favorite museums, or works of art? What would you do if you were lost in the Louvre???
