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Author Archives: Parisian Fields
Michael Caine: an English traditional typographer in the heart of Paris
One evening in 2007, we left our rented apartment on rue Charlemagne for a walk in the Marais. On the rue de la Cerisiaie, we peered at a small poster on the glass door of a narrow workshop. Suddenly, the … Continue reading
Posted in Paris art
Tagged Ecole de Beaux Arts Nancy, Ecole Superieure Estienne des Arts et Industries Graphiques, Finn's Hotel, Ithys Press, James Joyce, Jean-Luc Lerbourgh, letterpress printing, Librairie des Argonautes, London College of Printing, Louis Aragon, Michael Caine, Paul Valéry, rue de la Cerisiaie, The Cats of Copenhagen, type fonts, typography
3 Comments
An honourable education
Every time we plan a trip to Paris, we have a list of things we want to do there. And every time we get to Paris, we end up doing fewer than half of those things. After all, opportunities arise … Continue reading
The Nuns’ Tale
A few months ago, I was working at my desk while the radio played in the background. All of a sudden, I heard something extraordinary. I had been vaguely aware of some orchestral music that suggested foreboding and sorrow, but … Continue reading
Posted in Paris history, Paris music
Tagged Canadian Opera Company, Compiegne, Constance of Saint Denis, Dialogues des Carmelites, Francois Poulenc, French Revolution, Georges Bernanos, Gertrud von le Fort, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Madame de Croissy, Madame Lidoine, Martyrs of Compiegne, Paris in the Terror, Place de la Nation, Robert Carsen, Robespierre, Song at the Scaffold, Stanley Loomis, William Bush
22 Comments
The man who gave Paris 50 fountains
On our first visit to Paris together, Norman took a picture of me standing beside a Wallace fountain. I liked the dark green caryatids and the elegant dome. Later, on a visit to the Pavillon de l’Eau, we learned that … Continue reading
Posted in Paris churches, Paris history, Paris hospitals
Tagged Bagatelle, Bois de Boulogne, Café de Paris, Charles Auguste Lebourg, Commune, Fragonard, Franco-Prussian War, Hertford Hospital, Julie Castelnau, Maria Emilia Fagnani, Marquess of Hertford, Père Lachaise, Richard Wallace, rue Laffitte, rue Taitbout, St. George's Church, Wallace Collection, Wallace fountains
15 Comments
Postcards of a Working River
We don’t often think of Paris as a port city. But the city handles about 20 million tonnes of cargo a year, and with more than 7 million people travelling on the river each year, Paris is the leading river … Continue reading
Posted in Paris bridges, Paris history, Paris markets, Paris postcards, Seine
Tagged Antoine-Rémy Polonceau, Bassin de l’Arsenal, bateaux mouches, Bercy, Colonne de Juillet, La Seine, Les Halles de Bercy, Paris Flood 1910, passerelle Debilly, péniches, Place de la Bastille, Pont Alexandre III, Pont au Change, Pont des Arts, Pont des Saints-Pères, Pont du Carrousel, Pont Mirabeau, Port de l'Hotel de Ville, Port du Louvre, Port Saint-Nicolas, Quai d'Austerlitz
10 Comments
An Unbuilt Bridge and the Allure of Paris
The bridges crossing the Seine are a major part of Paris’s beauty. Could a bridge that was never built also be an asset? Consider the magazine headline below. What does it tell us about Paris and tourism when in July … Continue reading
The further adventures of the Nurse Who Wore Pearls
A friend recently asked us how we plan what to write about in our blog. The answer, in Norman’s words, is this: “Planning is what you resort to when chance breaks down.” And somehow, chance seldom seems to break down. … Continue reading
I’ll meet you on the passerelle Debilly
The passerelle Debilly is often overshadowed by its flamboyant neighbour, the Eiffel Tower. But then, the Eiffel Tower has been upstaging everything in the neighbourhood since it opened in 1889. Consider one of the first photos I ever took of … Continue reading




















