If you know France, then you surely know something about Louis XIV and Versailles. But what was afoot with the nobles in the Marais? Rebellions? Scandals? Rubbish pickup? Street lighting? One woman’s presence in both of these worlds—and the vivid letters she wrote describing them—forms the heart of a new …
Paris neighbourhoods have gone through gentrification significantly in the 2000s. Along Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine n the Bastille is no exception. The furniture manufactures and sales offices have given way to clothing and sports stores. There is hope, however, because La Maison Tassin Cuir (leather) continues an upholstery tradition. Their …
Until July 21, Versailles currently has two exhibitions about Queens of France. The one, Madame de Maintenon, was never declared queen; the other Marie Leszczynska, reigned for 42 years and is little known. The anonymous illustrator of “Le Camp de Compiègne” places Madame de Maintenon sitting in the center of …