Blog Tip: Art and food lovers rejoice and hop over to Greer Gilman's post on a fund-raising scheme involving edible art. Surely we can think of a composition for Paris ca. 1879. A fondant Bouguereau nude?
Picturing a World
Women of the night
February 24, 2014
Degas’ pastel of two women sitting at a café table provided the image of a prostitute biting her thumb as a sign of availability. I didn’t think that Edward would be attracted to anyone in this picture, however, and so I imagined a younger, sadder example of a girl who had to Read More
Pont Neuf
February 22, 2014
Jeepers! I've just noticed that Thursday's post was not published. Better late than never, take a walk on the Pont Neuf!
When Jeanette returns from Pont Aven at the end of August 1879, she and Edward walk along Left Bank of the Seine on a Sunday afternoon. The scene is set farther down river than the Pont Neuf, but Béraud’s painting captures the casual, strolling ease that I wanted readers to feel.
Notice the Morris column advertising kiosk, the grille around the trees, the black-clad Parisiénne, and the little dog—recurring motifs for imagining Paris in this period. Read More
When Jeanette returns from Pont Aven at the end of August 1879, she and Edward walk along Left Bank of the Seine on a Sunday afternoon. The scene is set farther down river than the Pont Neuf, but Béraud’s painting captures the casual, strolling ease that I wanted readers to feel.
Notice the Morris column advertising kiosk, the grille around the trees, the black-clad Parisiénne, and the little dog—recurring motifs for imagining Paris in this period. Read More
Competition
February 18, 2014
Blog tip: Yesterday’s Gurney Journey blog post describes student competition in Paris art ateliers in 1900 and raises questions about the place of competition in teaching art today. The post and readers' comments interested me greatly. Writers and aspiring writers, in your experience does competition foster creativity or kill it? If you have thoughts, please share them in the comments. Read More
Garden party in February
February 17, 2014
A snowy recent post at the Ephemeral New York blog site sent me to the marvellous website of The Phillips Collection, which somehow I had missed up to now. In general, Beal’s work is Read More
Tree house restaurant
February 13, 2014
The village of Plessis just outside Paris was the site of a restaurant built in 1848 as a tree house in honor of Swiss Family Robinson. Its popularity led to the town’s adopting the name Plessis-Robinson Meals in baskets—typically roast chicken, bread, and wine—were pulled up on ropes to customers. Read More
Cousin Effie at last
February 10, 2014
For years, I’ve been on the lookout for a painting, drawing, or photograph that reminds me of Cousin Effie. She is very vivid in my mind, as are Jeanette’s drawings of her; but no luck—until, finally, up popped this image. Not perfect, but Read More
Blizzard of 1902
February 8, 2014
Blog tip: Fittingly for this cold, snowy winter, the Bowery Boys have posted The first-ever film of a New York City Blizzard. Brrr. My new novel is set in the Big Apple in 1908, but my heroine arrived there in 1901. Now I know one thing she must remember from her first year! Read More
Asleep on a train
February 6, 2014
For my new novel, I’m investigating early 20th C photography and print processes. This picture of a girl asleep on a train appears Read More
Class critique
February 3, 2014
I recently came across this picture by Albert Guillaume. William Adolphe Bouguereau criticizing student work in Jeanette’s class at the Académie Julian? Not quite, but mighty close! It appears in the January 14, 1905, issue of the French weekly, L’Illustration, accompanying the magazine’s review of a play, La Massière by Jules Lemaître. Read More