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Author Archives: Parisian Fields
Colour commentary
In the 1840s, my great-great grandfather came to Paris to study at the Gobelins Tapestry Factory. He was not a weaver or tapestry-maker, but a chemist who specialized in the science of colour and dyes, and the Gobelins was the … Continue reading
Posted in Paris architecture, Paris art, Paris streets
Tagged 32 rue Eugène Flachat, 51 boulevard Berthier, Accords chromatiques, Alain-Charles Perrot, Bon Marche, Build Up, F.-G. Dumas, François-Guillaume Dumas, Gobelins Tapestry Factory, Jules Loebnitz, La Samaritaine, Lycée Molière, Monceau Fleurs, Opéra Garnier, Paris Illustré, Paris Opera, Paul Sédille, Pavilion de l’Arsenal, Pompidou Centre, Printemps, Revue Illustrée, rue des Thermopyles, rue du Ranelagh, Simon Texier
6 Comments
Dateline Paris 1900: The Astounding Moving Electrical Sidewalk
In 1900, if you were lucky enough to have a ticket such as this one—and almost fifty million people did—you were in for an astounding treat. Paris and France went all out to make the Paris Universal Exposition the biggest … Continue reading
Sailing ships and rowboats
Père Lachaise Cemetery, spring 2010. I took this photograph, wondering what on earth a “caveau depositoire” might be. Turns out it is a temporary storage spot for bodies awaiting burial. But what attracted my attention at first was the image … Continue reading
The Paris Gigantic Wheel and Varieties Company Limited
It was an intriguing postcard, titled simply “Paris. La Grande Roue” (Paris, The Big Wheel). I didn’t recognize it, but I liked it, so I bought it. Little did I know that this purchase at an antiques fair in Paris … Continue reading
Posted in Paris expositions, Paris history, Paris popular culture, Paris postcards
Tagged 1900 Exposition Universelle, avenue de Suffren, Blackpool, Columbian Exposition of 1893, Earl's Court, Eiffel Tower, Ferris Wheel, George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., H. Cecil Booth, La Grande Roue, Le Wonderland, Norman Anderson, Paris Gigantic Wheel and Varieties Company Limited, Sylvain Ageorges, Théodore Vienne, universal exposition, Victor Breyer, Vienna, Walter B. Basset
17 Comments
The 37 Steps
It’s January, and the papers are full of recommended diets to deal with the extra pounds we all gained over Christmas. Oh, phooey. I’ve got a great book on French food that is making me hungry just reading about it … Continue reading
Renault assembly line worker designs world’s fastest ocean liner
On its maiden voyage to New York City in 1935, the French luxury liner Normandie, owned by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, astonished everyone who saw it. It was the longest ship in the world and yet, with its long tapered … Continue reading
Discovery in a dairy shed
Some movie reviewers are saying that Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, a 3D fantasy set in Paris, is the best film of 2011. It certainly gets our vote. We loved the story, the characters, and the special effects (well done without being … Continue reading
Posted in Paris film, Paris history
Tagged Brian Selznick, Chateau de Jeufosse, Gare Montparnasse, Georges Dufayel, Georges Méliès, Gustave Rives, Hugo, Jean Renoir, Jean-Placide Mauclaire, Les Grands Magasins Dufayel, Martin Scorsese, Salle Pleyel, Studio 28, The Invention of Hugo Cabret
10 Comments
Merry Christmas and don’t forget the bûche de béton
I hope some of you enjoyed the traditional French Christmas treat, the bûche de Noël (Christmas log), as we did. But let’s not forget another great French tradition: the bûche de béton. Or as some would call it: faux bois. … Continue reading
A closer look at Parisian streets
Over the past week, I have been pondering a comment made by Adam Roberts, the author of Invisible Paris (one of our favourite blogs), about our post on courtyards. He confessed to having mixed feelings about these interior spaces and … Continue reading
The hidden city
One of the distinct pleasures to be had in Paris is the feeling you get when you open a door into a private space. Enter a digicode and hear the satisfying click-thunk sound, or simply push open a closed but … Continue reading
