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Marie Antoinette is known for her style, love of fashion and jewelry and in the end what led to her demise. One woman is behind her look more than anyone else including those amazing hair styles. Rose Bertin had a knack for style that drew the attention of a very devoted following that went back to her early days. 

Born July 2, 1747 in Abbeville, she moved to Paris and started working at the Trait Galant boutique at just 16 years old. Owner Mademoiselle Pagalle dressed the ladies in the court of Louis XV, and the young assistant was much in demand. It was more about the adornings on the dress then the dress itself. Lace, feathers, jewels and ribbons creating a one of a kind dress that allowed the ladies to stand out at court. 

On May 11, 1774 the day after Louis XV died and Marie Antoinette became queen of France, Rose was introduced to the young queen by her customer, the Duchess of Chartres. In no time at all, Rose was meeting with the queen twice a week to talk about what she wanted and even designing the very tall hairstyles. 

Rose refused to follow trends, instead, she actually set them. When Marie wanted a casual dress to wear at the Trianon and the Hamlet, Rose designed a loose white muslin dress that Vigee Le Brun captured on the canvas. While it shocked many that the queen was depicted in such a casual way it became the must-have look in Paris. 

Working with the queen until her final moments she created the simple dress she wore to the guillotine and then promptly left France. As the very public image of the queen’s excess, her destiny would end much like her famed client if she hadn’t. Spending those years in Belgium and London before returning to Paris in 1795.

In 1770 she opened La Grand Mogol, eventually moving it to 26 Rue de Richelieu where it remained until she returned to Paris.  In the early 1800’s she finally closed it after her customers weren’t returning to her like they had before. On September 21, 1813 she died in Epinay-sur-Seine at 66 years old. 

Rose was the first celebrity fashion designer, created the first fashion magazine thanks to the urging of the Queen and created the mystique of Marie Antoinette that remains today. 

More info and photos: https://www.claudinehemingway.com/paris-history-avec-a-hemingway-podcast-1

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Sunny Buick was born in British Columbia, Canada, and grew up all over Northern California, finally ending up in the Bay Area in her teenage years. In 1986 while attending a high school especially for artists, she started to hang out in the milieu of San Francisco tattooing; and began to tattoo professionally in 1992. She served a formal apprenticeship with Henry Goldfield for 6 years.

In 2003 she organized a gigantic art show and catalog called SCI Fi Western, with over 100 artists; which won an award with the Bay Guardian magazine. Shortly thereafter she left San Francisco to realize her adolescent dream to speak French and live in Paris. She has shown in galleries in many parts of the world and in some museums including Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, Foster Museum, Wisconsin, and MIAM (Museum of Modest Arts), Sete, France.

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One of the newest sensations in Paris this summer has been the very long awaited reopening of Samaritaine. It started as a tiny store on the corner of Rue du Pont Neuf by a couple that spent their entire life in retail. 

Marie Louise Ja Ja, born on July 1, 1838 came from a large family and was forced to start working at a very early age to help support the family. In 1853 she moved to Paris with her aunt and got a job at La Nouveau Heloise selling lingerie. It was at her next job working at the candy counter of the Bon Marche that she met Ernest Cognaq. 

The two married on January 17, 1872 and opened their own store just off the Pont Neuf. It was located just steps away from the pump house that stood on stilts in the Seine next to the bridge. Built under Henri IV to provide water to the district around the Louvre, the building was topped with a sculpture by Bernard & René Fremin. It depicted Jesus in front of the well of Jacob with a woman known as La Samaritaine. It would stand through the 17th C until Louis XVI had it decommissioned and eventually torn down in 1813. As a young man Ernest set up a small stall under a red umbrella on the bridge selling items. So the name was close to his heart. 

Marie and Ernest’s store became so popular that they quickly expanded, eventually taking over the entire block all the way to Rue de Rivoli. It was the height of the Parisian department store and to stand out they created practices that are still used today. Letting customers try on clothes, credit accounts, allowing returns, catalog and mail orders. Closer to Marie’s heart was the nursery and hospital for employees and a fund to assist them and to cover medical expenses.

The couple created a vast art collection that you can visit today in Paris at the Musée Cognacq Jay, including one of the largest collections of British art in Paris. Marie died in 1925 and Ernest shortly after in 1928. Their beloved store passed through the hands of family until the 1970’s when the days of the large department store shopping waned. In 2001 LVMH bought it and 20 years later it has reopened beautifully. 

More info and photos: https://www.claudinehemingway.com/paris-history-avec-a-hemingway-podcast-1

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Flytographer connects travelers with local photographers in over 350 cities around the globe for fun, hassle-free photo shoots.

Inspired by a 2011 trip to Paris, from the desire to capture vacation memories that weren’t awkward selfies or blurry photos from strangers, Nicole Smith set out to solve the gap in the market for vacation photography. Two years later, Flytographer was born.

Today, our community of 500+ hand-picked professional photographers has captured over 3 million memories across six continents. We believe that memories are the best souvenirs and connecting with a local artist is one of the best ways to experience a new city.

We chat about what it's like to run a company of photographers and how Paris changed her life!

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Manet, like most painters, had many models they worked with. Manet found women that not only sat for him but also inspired him. Berthe Morisot was a young art student that had the looks of the dark haired Spanish beauties he was obsessed with. Morisot became an accomplished artist herself and married Manet’s brother, creating a devoted family of artists. 

Victorine Meuret sat for him in his most scandalous and famous paintings. Naked and looking at the viewer pulling them into the world of a courtesan and a picnic by a river. In one of his very last paintings, he depicted the real life waitress at a popular Paris music hall. 

The paintings of these three ladies are linked to Manet’s history and live on for generations hanging on the walls of the museums of Paris. In this week's podcast we explore these beloved images and the women behind them. 

Berthe Morisot met Manet in the Louvre where she was learning how to paint as a copyist and he was captivated by her and wanted to paint her immediately. Le Balcon painted in 1868 showcases Morisot sitting behind the iron railing holding a fan, but my favorite is her portrait. Berthe is shown in black mourning clothes with a very small bouquet of violets, painted in 1872. 

Victorine Meuret, was called many names including La Crevette for her red hair. Her hair is the last thing you notice in the two paintings she is so widely known for, Olympia and Dejeuner sur l’herbe. When these two paintings appeared at the Salons of 1863 & 1865 he shocked Paris. The naked woman in a contemporary setting caused a backlash that followed him for years, yet today there are just a few of his beloved pieces and always garner a crowd in the Musée d’Orsay. 

More info and photos: https://www.claudinehemingway.com/paris-history-avec-a-hemingway-podcast-1

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Claudine Hemingway
Bleu, Blonde, Rouge 

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Podcast La Vie Creative, Paris History Avec a Hemingway 🇫🇷

Hemingway tours of Paris

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When I first set foot in Paris as a teenager, les pyramides in front of the Louvre didn’t exist, the Musée d’Orsay was a defunct train station with broken windows, and the cathedral of Notre Dame would continue to display a sooty black façade for another twenty plus years. Still, Paris had that certain je ne sais quoi. And, like so many before me, I was hooked…well, nearly.

In early 1985, I immersed myself in Provence and in the French way of life as a college student–and was captivated. Though my French needed (a lot) more work, I was touched by everything…the light, the landscape, the colors…the art and architecture that were old…the Roman ruins that were really old…the lively, open-air markets with dazzling fruits and vegetables…strawberries that tasted more strawberry than any I had ever eaten…and of course, the French people who were just so… French. It was truly a feast for the senses.

Many degrees in French, a livelihood as a French professor – I started teaching French language and culture in 1989 – and several living stints in France later, I decided to share my passion for all things French beyond the university classroom. I wanted to focus on that magical space where travel, culture and language intersect. And so, my France travel and culture company French Affaires was born.

From special insider travel experiences in France, to personalized trip planning for your France travels, to visually illustrated travel and culture lectures such as ‘Paris Urban Design Through the Centuries,’ ‘The Best of Provence – History, Culture and Cuisine’ and ‘Paris Museums Tour,’ to language courses including ‘France for Travelers: All You Need to Know to Have a Fabulous Time in France Every Time,’ I offer many dynamic opportunities to immerse yourself into l’art de vivre–the art of living–the French way.

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Dora Maar from the end of her life until today is widely labeled the “Muse of Picasso”. As with most women in history they are relegated to being a postscript in a man's story, Dora was much more than that. 

Born on November 22, 1907 Henriette Markovitch in Paris at the Tarnier Maternity Clinic at 89 Rue d’Assas. Her father Joseph was a Croatian architect and her mother Louise-Julie Voisin from Cognac and owned a fashion boutique. In 1910 she headed to Buenos Aires with her parents for her father's job and returned to Paris a few years later. Enrolling in the Union Centrale des Arts Decoratifs and l’Academie Julian in 1923 and 1927 one of the few that allowed women artists. 

Photography was her art form and from early on her eye for details for her into the exclusive clubs of artists. A meeting with Pierre Kéfer and Louis Chavance would lead her to Man Ray who she asked to work with. Man Ray hired her as a model instead and she was able to work closely with the Surrealist and learn many of his tricks.

In May 1931 she officially went by Dora Maar and photographed fashion houses for magazines and publications to pay the bills. Her more artistic work garnered her a place in the Exposition Intl in Brussels for her solo work and collaboration with Kéfer. 

In December 1935 on a cold night at Les Deux Magots sitting alone and stabbing a knife between her open fingers she caught the eye of Picasso. He was instantly taken with her and her bold personality. Dora was at the top of her game and the peak of her career, Picasso was in the depth of his. Unable to paint or be inspired but that all changed the night he met Dora. The two began a relationship that would last eleven years built on a trust between two artists that inspired each other. Picasso painted her many times including his series of the crying woman. 

In the final two years of their relationship, her mother died, her father left and she flung deep into depression and manic episodes. Picasso paid for her care and gave her a house in the south but she would spend the rest of her life in seclusion away from the world. 

Listen to her full story and so much more in the newest episode of Paris History Avec a Hemingway. 

More info and photos: https://www.claudinehemingway.com/paris-history-avec-a-hemingway-podcast-1

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Born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Karen grew up with the aspiration to be a comedian, a musician, or both… She groomed these crafts from a young age by making everyone around her laugh and beginning a lifetime romance with the flute at the age of 9. She went on to study drama at Temple University in Philadelphia and played in a series of bands.

From the age of 30 until she got married, Karen was back and forth between Paris and Philadelphia, working on musical projects and touring (including being the flautist and singer in a Reggae band in Paris). One day her parents came to visit her and Karen, having learned a lot about Paris, was showing them around when her mother exclaimed, “Karen, you would make a great tour guide!”

That was the light bulb moment, and as the French say, voila!

Paris has been Karen’s stomping ground for over 20 years, and her company is in a unique position to give you the historical background and underground cultural scoops that most walking tours leave out.

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Louise Joesphine Weber is remembered more for her adoptive name La Goulue and how she got the name. Born on June 12, 1866, in Clichy the love of dancing was instilled in her at a very early age by her mother. By 1882 she had moved to Montreuil and started dancing at the Moulin de la Galette in Montmartre. 

Customer and journalist Charles Desteque noticed her and introduced her to a friend, Charles Zidler who would later play a prominent role in her life. In the meantime, she continued to dance at the many bal musettes in Paris including the Closerie des Lillas, Elysees-Montmartre and the Bullier Bal. 

Charles came back into her life in 1889 when he and Joseph Oller were opening a new stage in Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge, and asked Louise to be their headline dancer. Of course, she jumped at the chance and in no time she was the hit of the stage with her signature move. At the height of the can-can, she would turn her back to the audience and lift her skirt revealing her many layers of ruffles later captured by Toulouse-Lautrec. 

A perfect duo was created when Louise partnered up with Jules Etienne Edme Renaudin, aks Valentine Montagné, who was also called “the boneless” for his fluid dance moves. The two performed together at the Moulin Rouge from 1890-1895. Toulouse-Lautrec was as much a part of the Moulin Rouge as the can-can and could be found nightly sketching during the show. In 1895 he created his first lithograph “Dance at the Moulin Rouge” with Louise as his subject. The poster made Louise and Toulouse-Lautrec famous overnight. More than 3000 posters filled the streets of Paris. TL would capture her in four paintings and many posters creating a lasting friendship. 

Louise is better known as La Goulue, the glutton in French and is due to her habit of walking through the crowd and guzzling down the drinks of patrons sitting in the crowd. La Goulue danced until 1895 when she left the stage and became a lion tamer, I can’t make this up. 

In her later years she could be found walking the streets of Montmartre with her lion on a leash and selling cigarettes outside the Moulin Rouge . 

There is so much more to her life, be sure to listen to the newest episode of Paris History Avec a Hemingway on La Vie Creative Podcast. 

More info and photos: https://www.claudinehemingway.com/paris-history-avec-a-hemingway-podcast-1
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Rebecca Devaney is a textile artist, researcher, and facilitator. She has recently established Textile Tours of Paris.

Rebecca Devaney first landed in Paris in 2017 to follow her dreams and study haute couture embroidery at the prestigious École Lesage. With a BA in Art and Design Education and an MFA in Textile Art and Artefact from the National College of Art and Design in Ireland, there were already two recurring themes in her life, embroidery and inspiring young people.

Before arriving in Paris, Rebecca was generously granted funding by the Thomas Dammann Junior Memorial Trust Award to undertake a research trip that aimed to investigate the cultural importance, craft, and aesthetic of Mexican hand embroidery. She traveled all over Mexico to meet craftspeople, artists, ethnographers, and anthropologists to study how embroidery is heavily embedded in their culture. She heard how women embroider their personal stories, memories, and experiences in each beautiful piece of work. Her research resulted in the exhibition Bordados, a collection of photographs, interviews, and textiles, which has been presented internationally and is now part of the permanent collection at the Mexican Consulate to France.

Rebecca is also a textile artist and her work has been exhibited in Ireland, the United States, and even here in Paris at the OECD inaugural conference on Violence Against Women. She has completed artist residencies in Abu Dhabi and India, teaching children how to combine creativity and sustainability to create beautiful works of art. She is currently working with Fanatikart in Paris, teaching young children to use embroidery to tell their stories, which will be exhibited at Centre 104. She had always dreamed of incorporating the embroidery and embellishment techniques of haute couture in her textile art practice. Enrolling in École Lesage was her opportunity to do this, to learn the techniques mastered – and, in some cases, invented – by one of the world’s greatest artistic embroidery houses. 

She spent six months training in the intricate arts of Lunéville embroidery, traditional needlework, and embellishment. After qualifying, Rebecca began working as an embroiderer for the world’s most renowned Maisons de Haute Couture such as Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce and Gabanna, Louis Vuitton, and Valentino. She embroidered gowns for celebrities and royalty worn at the Met Gala Ball, Cannes Film Festival, and of course, Paris Fashion Shows, you could say, she was living the embroider dream life. 

Rebecca established Textile Tours of Paris in 2019 to share her love of the rich heritage of textiles woven through the fabric of Paris on guided walking tours. She also runs embroidery workshops and the Threads of Connection embroidery evenings at Shakespeare & Company. 

All of those experiences and passions would soon collide when Rebecca was working with the Irish in France at the Irish Cultural Centre to create children’s costumes from recycled materials for the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Paris in 2020. She was approached by Junk Kouture, a fashion competition founded in Ireland in 2010, which was planning to expand internationally. She knew the competition well from when she worked as an Art teacher in Dublin and had participated each year with her students who absolutely loved it. Rebecca loved the idea of bringing Junk Kouture to the home of Haute Couture!

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