Tag Archives: Père Lachaise

How blind people learned to write: the truth can be told

Exactly 200 years ago, in June 1821, a crucial experiment was taking place in a school on the rue St-Victor in Paris. The school was the Institution Royale des Jeunes Aveugles (the Royal Institution for Blind Youth) and the students … Continue reading

Posted in Charles Barbier, History of the blind, Paris cemeteries, Paris history, Paris museums | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

The Rise and Fall of the Visual Telegraph

Sometimes we go looking for blog ideas, and sometimes they come along and tap us persistently on the shoulder. This one did – three times. First, I spotted an “advertorial” in a 1912 issue of a small American magazine called … Continue reading

Posted in Paris history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

An artist finds life among the tombs

When I look at Pamela Williams’s photographs of sculptures, I feel I am seeing real people. This photo, which she calls “Glance,” was taken in 2010 in Passy Cemetery. It is so realistic, one almost does a double-take. The once-lustrous … Continue reading

Posted in Paris art, Paris cemeteries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Connaissez-vous Paris?

On the avenue Franklin Roosevelt, not far from the Champs-Elysées, is an unusual bookshop. The name, Livre Sterling, is a peculiarly anglophile pun on the fact that the word “livre” in French can mean either “pound” (₤) or “book” and … Continue reading

Posted in Paris bookstores, Paris travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments