The Affair of the Necklace is a scandalous swindle that helped spark the French Revolution and because of its unbelievable plot twists it has been repeatedly retold in film and books. The Con Artist It all started with Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy. She came from a family distantly, very distantly related to Henry II. She married …
Category Archives: France
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel built the Eiffel Tower. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway network, most famously the Garabit Viaduct. But he is most famous for the Eiffel Tower with its wrought-iron lattice …
Sarah Bernhard
Famed stage actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) was a French stage actress. She starred in some of the most popular theater productions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her most famous French plays including La Dame Aux Camelias by Alexandre Dumas fils; Ruy Blas by Victor Hugo, Fédora and La Tosca by Victorien Sardou, …
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was a British nurse, social reformer. She was the founder of modern nursing. Known as “The Lady With the Lamp,” her experiences as a nurse during the Crimean War were foundational in her views about sanitation. Nightingale was a manager and nursing trainer during the Crimean War, organizing care for wounded soldiers …
André Le Nôtre
Versailles gardens architect André Le Nôtre was the principal gardener for French King Louis XIV. Nôtre, (1613-1700) was born in Paris and became a successful French landscape architect. He designed the gardens of Versailles. The gardens were his masterpiece, earning him a fortune and international fame. He was originally named André Le Nostre. Amazon T-shirts …