REDISCOVERING THE PICTURESQUE IN PARIS
My New Book: Marie-Antoinette’s Legacy
Surprising Stories, Versailles
I'm very pleased to announce that my book, Marie-Antoinette’s Legacy: The Politics of French Garden Patronage and Picturesque Design, 1775-1867 is now available for purchase.
Since Marie-Antoinette was crowned queen of France almost…
Wild Mushrooms, an Autumnal Passion in France
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Autumn in France means the arrival of wild mushrooms overflowing from the stalls of market vendors. However, not everyone purchases their champignons des bois... foraging in France’s majestic forests is still very much a passionate hobby…
Surprising Stories: Let them Eat Cake… or Not
Architecture, VersaillesSince Sofia Coppola’s blockbuster movie Marie-Antoinette opened in 2006, influencers, politicians and fashionistas have focused on the queen’s unpredictable destiny as an allegory of contemporary events. One of the most recent examples appeared…
Best Small Museums with Cafés and Gardens
Gardens, GardensOne of the best ways to enjoy the Parisian art scene is to visit the more intimate collections housed in smaller museums in the city. Often located in historic buildings, until recently, the gardens surrounding these museums were neglected.…
The Hidden Gardens of Paris
Two hundred years ago, when Emperor Napoleon III transformed Paris into a modern metropolis, he singularly championed public parks. He gifted two former hunting grounds—the Bois de Boulogne at the western edge of the city and the Bois de Vincennes…