Currently viewing the tag: "aristocracy"
An 18th-century portrait sold in New York to a British gallery as a “woman in a feathered hat” turns out to actually portray a man dressed as a woman, becoming the earliest known painting of a transvestite. (Read how they figured it out…)
The portrait is of Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d’Éon de Beaumont, a [...]
A compelling, intimate portrait of the Bonapartes, delving into the conflicted relationship between Napoleon and his beloved brother Lucien, the most talented of the Bonaparte brothers, who not only can be credited for helping Napoleon seize power, but who had a promising political career of his own. He was a romantic, an idealist, and [...]
Prince Albert II of Monaco and his bride-to-be Charlene Wittstock say in an interview published in France they’re looking to become parents soon after they tie the knot next month.
Read more at GreenwichTime.
For the first time, an exhibit in Paris has pulled together archives on the prison to offer a glimpse into the hidden world of the Bastille. It shows the inmates’ relative comfort – and why it became such a target of revolutionary ire.
Exhibit at the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal through February 11, [...]
Do you remember the 1954 movie Désirée, starring Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons as Napoleon’s first love? The movie seems to be out of print at the moment, but a new edition of the novel by Annemarie Selinko is being published. Hopefully this will mean they’ll re-release the movie on DVD! You [...]
Extra phone lines were installed for the sale to cope with an expected rush of international buyers seeking to snip up the hair cut from the head of former French Emperor a day after his death in 1821 while he was in exile on the island of St. Helena.
via Reuters
Their father, the Duc d’Anjou, is Head of the House of Bourbon and senior male heir of Louis XIV and of the ancient Capetian dynasty. These new-born Sons of France, the Dukes of Burgundy and Berry, are the 33rd generation from Hugh Capet, King of France from 987 to 996.
(There really are [...]
France has found a new political pin up: a charismatic leader who reduced the country’s deficit by a third and embodied the legend of the tireless French lover – Henri IV.
via Telegraph
Be sure to visit the official H4 site. Beautiful and interactive.
Jean François de Galaup, Comte de La Pérouse, was the first European to set foot on the Hawaiian islands. There’s a monument to him on Maui, at La Perouse Bay.
via framemuseums.org
40 statues from the tomb of John the Fearless, 2nd Duke of Burgundy (15th century) to go on US tour.
