Category Archives: Paris History

Discovering the Jewish Heritage of the Marais

Today the Marais is one of the historically rich and also chicest neighbourhoods of Paris. One of the former homes of Paris’ Ashkenazi community, many traditional Jewish shops and restaurants have been replaced with trendy boutiques, though the district retains many key historic Jewish sites and spirit. We highlight a few sites of interest here.

Rue des Rosiers

Nicknamed the Pletzl, Yiddish for “little square”, this mostly pedestrian street was once lined with Jewish shops and restaurants. A few of these remain, like several bookshops and some kosher food shops, so be sure to come hungry. Within this later category is the Sacha Finkelsztajn bakery which dates back to 1947 and a number of Israeli street food venues including the mouth-watering L’As du Fallafel, which claims to have the world’s best falafel sandwiches and the more modern Miznon, located around the corner on rue des Ecouffes. Also of note on the street is the École de l’ORT (4 bis rue des Rosiers), a philanthropic Jewish trade school opened in 1852 which is still training young people.

École des Hospitalières Saint-Gervais. VVVCFFrance / CC

École des Hospitalières Saint-Gervais

10 rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais, 75004 Paris

Just up from rue des Rosiers is the city’s first Israelite school. Founded in 1819, it moved to this location, a former butcher’s shop, in 1846. It was transformed into a state school in 1880, although most of its pupils were still Jewish and thus it would close on Saturdays when other French schools were open. A plaque on the outside commemorates the tragic disappearance of 165 of its pupils during the “Vel’d’Hiv” roundup of Parisian Jews on 16 July 1942. The square in front of it is also named in honour of the children of the area deported during WWII. You can see more of these commemorative plaques attached to buildings throughout the neighborhood.

Agoudas Hakehilos Synagogue

10, rue Pavée, 75004 Paris

Sitting nearby on rue Pavée is this beautiful synagogue designed by Hector Guimard, the architect behind Paris’s iconic Art Nouveau métro entrances. Built by the Hassidic Jewish community of Russian origin and inaugurated in 1914, the synagogue took only a year to complete thanks to its use of modern building materials, namely concrete. It was the only religious building designed by Guimard. You can notice some Art Nouveau details on the building’s facade and further details common of the style can be seen on the long interior which is closed to the public save for the faithful attending worship.

Tournelles Synagogue

21 bis Rue des Tournelles, 75004 Paris

On a street east of Place des Vosges is this imposing synagogue, the second largest in Paris. Inaugurated as a consistorial temple in 1876, it was designed by Marcellin-Emmanuel Varcollier, a student of Baltard, the architect of the since demolished historic market buildings of Les Halles. Roman-Byzantine in style, the facade has a very French rose window above which are sculptures of the Tables of the Law. Since 1963 the synagogue has been allocated to Algerian Sephardic community.

The Museum of Jewish Art and History (MahJ)

71 rue du Temple, 75003 Paris

Located in a historic 17th-century mansion, the Hotel Saint-Aignan, this excellent museum has permanent and temporary exhibits on the evolution, history and art of the Jewish world. On display are religious objects, manuscripts, textiles and contemporary art by artists including Christian Boltanski and Sophie Calle. Also featured are archival documents on the Dreyfus Affair, which is paid homage to via the large bronze sculpture in its courtyard.

Jardin Anne-Frank

14 impasse Berthaud, 75003 Paris

Hidden at the end of a cul-de-sac in the shadow of the Centre Pompidou is this pretty garden dedicated to Jewish diarist Anne Frank. Opened in 2007 it spreads over the former gardens of the hotels Saint-Aignan and Mantion, and thus behind the The Museum of Jewish Art and History. Within the garden is an offshoot of a chestnut tree which Anne Frank admired from her window as well as fruit trees and rose trellises.

Memorial of the Shoah

17 Rue Geoffroy l’Asnier, 75004 Paris

This site north of the Seine acts as a memorial, documentation centre and museum on the history of the Jews during the Second World War. The documentation centre was begun in 1943 by Russian-born industrialist Isaac Schneersohn in the southeastern city of Grenoble with the aim of collecting evidence of the anti-Jewish persecution by the Nazis and Vichy government police. The memorial was inaugurated in 1956 and within the forecourt is a circular memorial listing the names of the death camps and the Warsaw Ghetto, beneath which are ashes from the sites. The walls commemorate the “Justes” (the “Righteous,” non-Jews who risk their lives to save Jewish people during the Occupation) as well as the Jews deported from the country during the holocaust. It is a solemn place of memorial which provides valuable insight into the atrocities inflicted upon the Jews in WWII and ensures their memory will not be forgotten.

From History to Writing, Our Favorite Paris Podcasts

Over the past few years podcasts have become increasingly popular. They are a wonderful way to learn or enrich yourself while on the go or multitasking. This flourishing has also led to a rise in Paris podcasts, ranging from history to current affairs and from French lessons to tips from writers. The following podcasts are ideal for prepping for living in Paris, discovering insightful things about its history and learning how to navigate the city.

Paris History and Current Life

The Earful Tower

Hosted by Paris-based Australian Oliver Gee, every week this podcast focuses on a France or Paris related subject ranging from Parisian doorways to unusual vocabulary. The show often has special guests who add their thoughts on that week’s topic. It’s a fun and engaging way to learn about Paris as well as the trials, tribulations and joys of living in the City of Light.

Paname

Created by actress, comedian and tour guide Amber Minogue, this podcast, bearing the nickname Parisians have for the city, covers a secret, lesser known topic in each episode. Well researched and presented in an engaging manner, it’s a deeper dive into Parisian history and important figures which have left their mark on the capital. Subjects have included Cardinal Richelieu, the guillotine, the Bastille prison and more offbeat topics like haunted chairs or immortal clockmakers.

Mapping Paris

Our cohorts at the University of London Institute in Paris have created this podcast which is produced by students pursuing its Urban History & Culture MA. “An auditory adventure of Paris”, each episode provides a new perspective on the sites of Paris and broadens listeners understanding of what Paris is today. The short episodes make for the perfect cultural break while in transit, perhaps to our Paris School!

The New Paris

If you are interest in learning more about today’s Paris, then tune into this podcast hosted by writers Lindsey Tramuta and Alice Cavanagh, The show is an audio extension of Lindsey’s book of the same name. Each episode covers a specific subject relating to how Paris is evolving in the 21st century and usually involves a special guest, from restaurant owners to writers.

Paris Underground Radio

Launched in autumn 2021, this is a great new Paris podcast network which brings together 12 podcasts on a range of topics including food and wine, real estate, events and history. If you’re looking for unique things to do in Paris, you might like to check out Don’t Miss This, a weekly show released on Sundays and showcasing cool events, exhibitions and more. For exploring the city, listen in to Paris Cachée, a show investigating hidden sites with fascinating or unusual history. For tips on understanding the French through language, listen to Navigating the French.

Writing & Creativity

Right to Write – Paris

This podcast interviews the writers who participate in the Paris Writers Group held every month at the American Church. They provide insight into writing strategies and discusses how they’ve found inspiration in the City of Light, a place which has inspired so many great writers over the years. You can focus on your own writing my pursuing our Master’s in Creative Writing in Paris.

The Feminist Book Chat Podcast

This bi-monthly podcast was born out of an in-person book club held founded by Lou Binns and Camille Lou at the famous Shakespeare & Company bookstore. Each episode revolves around a range of subjects from feminist literature to BIPOC feminism and queer culture.

La Vie Creative

Hosted by American expat and photographer Krystal Kenney, this podcast focuses on creatives in Paris and how the city inspires creativity. The weekly episodes feature artists, designers, writers and other personalities in Paris. She also hosts a side podcast, “History with a Hemingway”, co-hosted by Claudine Hemingway, a relative of Ernest Hemingway.

Learning French

Coffee Break French

This podcast is hosted by Mark, a Scottish native who teaches French, and is a great match for beginners. Mark helps makes French less daunting with his interactive lessons which cover useful basic vocabulary, grammar and more. It’s a fun way to get started with learning French!

Français authentique

If you already have a foundation of the French language, then try this podcast, hosted by Frenchman Johan. Each episode covers a different theme such as improving one’s pronunciation, expressions and language learning tips. They are also available in video form with French subtitles.

Happy Listening everyone!

Top Historic Literary Cafés of the Left Bank

Since the Age of Enlightenment, cafés became a popular meeting place of intellectuals and writers. This was especially the case over the course of the 20^th century when the waterholes of la Rive Gauche developed legendary statues thanks to the literary greats who graced their tables. Although these literary cafés of the Left Bank no longer attract bohemian scribes like they did in bygone days, they are still worth making a pilgrimage to for current day writers and literary fans.

Le Procope

Considering the oldest café in Paris, this Left Bank institution has been welcoming intellectuals virtually since it opened in 1686. Thanks to the arrival of the Comédie Francaise theatre across the street in 1689, French playwrights, writers and philosophers naturally gravitated here. These include Condorcet, La Harpe, Voltaire, Rousseau and Diderot, who is thought to have worked on his famous Encyclopaedia at the café. More restaurant than café today, the classic establishment still has Voltaire’s favourite table, located on the first floor.

Les Deux Magots. Photo: Cheng-en Cheng / CC

Les Deux Magots

One of the most famous cafés in Paris, if not the world, this classic institution was originally a fabrics and novelty shop which was converted into a café in 1884. It’s growing popularity with Lost Generation writers like Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce led the café to start its own literary prize in 1933. Writers continued to gravitated to it over decades including Bertolt Brecht and Vladimir Nabokov, who mentioned it in his 1955 novel Lolita.

Le Café de Flore

Opened during the café boom of the 1880s, this iconic St-Germain café, and staunch rival of its neighbour Les Deux Magots, acted as the unofficial headquarters of existentialism philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir for decades. Earlier in the century it was also a favorite of Apollinaire and Salmon, who worked on their arts review, Les Soirées de Paris, at the café. Albert Camus and poet Jacques Prévert could also found inspiration here.

La Closerie Des Lilas

Along with St-Germain, the Montparnasse district was another literary hub of the first half of the 20th century. This historic café, opened in the 1860s, first attracted avant-garde artists before drawing in both French and foreign writers. French poets Paul Verlaine, Charles Baudelaire and Max Jacob could often be found here, pen or glass in hand. In their various eras one might encounter Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, Fitzgerald and Henry Miller at its tables, however, it was Hemingway who frequented the venue the most. It’s said that he read Fitzgerald’s manuscript of The Great Gatsby here, he likely worked on The Sun Also Rises and the café is described in his memoir, A Moveable Feast.

La Rotonde

Another literary haunt of the Montparnasse district, and around the corner from our Paris School, this café used to be so popular that Hemingway wrote in The Sun Also Rises that, “no matter what cafe in Montparnasse you ask a taxi driver to bring you to from the right bank of the river, they always take you to the Rotonde.” In literary circles you could find Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot and Gertrude Stein here as well as those in the art scene like Picasso, Modigliani and Cocteau. More recently, President Emmanuel Macron chose to celebrate his 2017 Presidential victory here, adding another chapter to the legendary café’s storied history.

Photo courtesy of Café Tournon

Café Tournon

On the other side of the Luxembourg gardens, this unassuming neighbourhood café became a meeting place for the next generation of writers. In the 1950s one could find James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Chester Himes and William Gardner Smith debating around its tables over an afternoon coffee. The café also served as the early base of the staff and writers of the literary magazine The Paris Review.

Looking for inspiration for your own writing in Paris? Advance your craft by undertaking our Master’s in Creative Writing in Paris offered at our campus in the Montparnasse district.

Napoleon’s Paris, Eight Sites Linked to the Emperor

This year France will celebrate the bicentennial of the Emperor’s death, in exile on the Island of Saint Helena on 5 May 1821, with a range of exhibits and events. Although he is a controversial figure for more reasons than one, it is undeniable that Napoléon Bonaparte altered the course of French history and the country as a whole. Napoléon might have spent much of his 15 years in power trying to conquer Europe, however, he did leave his mark on the capital. This was often in the form of grand monuments to himself and his military victories, nevertheless, the city does owe a number of its greatest sites to the Emperor. Here is selection of initiatives and other sites connected to Napoléon in Paris.

L’Ecole Militaire. Photo: Jebulon / CC

L’Ecole Militaire

After initial studies at the military academy of Brienne, Bonaparte came to Paris in October 1784, at the age of 15, to continue his training at the Ecole Militaire. After a year, he left the academy as a second lieutenant in the La Fère artillery regiment. His military career continued to advance through the early years of the Revolution. His surpression of a royalist insurrection in 1795 shot Bonaparte to sudden fame and had him promoted to Commander of the Interior and of the Army of Italy. With his new position, he made the Ecole Militaire his headquarters.

L’Arc de Triomphe

The most famous site connected to Napoléon, and one of the most visited sites in Paris, is certainly this mammoth triumphal arch. After his victory at Austerlitz in 1806, the Emperor commissioned a number of commemorative projects to celebrate his military campaigns. A number of propositions were put forth for the largest of these monuments and, for a time, there were plans to construct a massive elephant fountain in the centre of Place de l’Etoile and at the end of the Champs Elysées. In the end, Napoleon’s love of the antiquities, especially Roman monuments and symbolism, won out. The 50-metre high archway, which was originally designed to commemorate those who fought and died in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, features sculptures by leading artists of the era. Only partially completed when the Emperor was ousted from power in 1814, the archway was finally completed in 1836, during the reign of King Louis-Philippe, just in time for Napoléon’s remains to pass beneath it when they were returned to France on 1840.

L’Arc du Carroussel

Despite its very central location, between the Louvre and the Tuileries Garden, this second archway built by Napoléon often gets overshadowed by its more famous bigger sister. Constructed between 1806 and 1808, it too commemorates the battle of Austerlitz and other Napoleonic military victories. It is adorned with pink marble columns, statues and commemorative friezes, although it’s the sculpture on the top that’s the most interesting. During Napoleon’s conquest of Italy, the Horses of Saint Mark’s Basilica, already spoils from the Venetian Republic’s attacks on Constantinople, were pillaged and placed atop the arch. After the fall of Napoleon, the French were forced to return the original and this copy was added in its place.

Colonne Vendôme

Another Roman-style monument, this gigantic column is modelled after Trajan’s column in Rome. Also commemorating the victory at Austerlitz, and placed in the prestigious Place Vendôme, the bronze column was made from the melted down canons captured from the Russians and Austrians defeated in the legendary battle. The base of the 44 metre-high structure are Napoleonic eagles, whereas traveling up it is the story of the battle, atop which is Napoléon, holding a miniature Victory in his hand. This is, however, a replacement of the original column which was toppled by Communards during the 1871 Commune de Paris revolt (more on this event in this article on the Commune).

Fontaine du Palmier

The largest of 15 fountains commissioned by Napoleon in 1806, it was designed to provide fresh drinking water to the city. However, in true Napoleonic style, it also honours his military victories. At the base of the fountain are four sphinxes, eluding to the Emperor’s Egyptian campaign, from where the water spurts into a round basin. Above these are laurel-laden eagles and an Egyptian style column rising in palms, which gives the fountain its name. It too is crowned by Victory, holding out more laurels and the names of various battles are listed around it. This fountain’s location is also significant, built on the former site of Le Grand Châtelet, a formidable fortress and symbol of L’Ancien Régime, destroyed just like La Bastille.

Église de la Madeleine. Photo: Jose Losada / Flickr

L’Eglise de La Madeleine

Although this is a Catholic church today, this Greek Temple-esque structure dominating Place de la Madeleine has had various inceptions. Prior to the French Revolution the building of a church dedicated to Mary Magdalene had begun on this site, a project abandoned during the turmoil and anti-religious times. The foundations and finished portico stood for over a decade before Napoléon decided in 1806 to convert the designs into a Temple to the Glory of the Great Army. Incomplete at the fall of the Emperor, the restitution of the Monarchy steered the building’s course back in the direction of a church. Nevertheless, in 1837 there was talk of turning the building into Paris first railway station, but Mary Magdalene prevailed in the end and the church was consecrated in her honour in 1842.

Place de la Bourse, Photo: mksfca / Flickr

Palais de la Bourse

Although it was decided to move the previous Stock Echanges prior to Napoléon’s reign, he gets the credit for bringing all of Paris’s stock trading under one roof. It’s known as the Palais Brongniart, in honour of its architect, Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, who was tasked by Bonaparte to design a structure worthy of representing France’s commercial power. Similar in appearance to La Madeleine, the rectangular neoclassical building is also surrounded a colonnade. With the shift of trading online, the building is now rented out for congresses and other events.

Musée-de-l'Armée-Tombeau-de-Napoléon-Eglise-du-Dôme-_-630x405-_-©-OTCP-DR

Tomb of Napoléon, Musée de l’Armée Photo: OTCP/DR

Les Invalides

When Napoléon’s remains returned to France in 1840, it was decided that his final resting place should be the Saint-Louis Cathedral, the Military church of the Les Invalides complex. Built under Louis XIV and designed by Jules Hardouin Mansart from 1677, at 107 metres, the cathedral’s dome is the highest in France and considered by many to be its most beautiful. Gilded in gold on the outside, it is deep in its crypt where the Emperor’s tomb is found, made of red quartzite and sitting on a green granite base. A visit to the tomb is included on entrance tickets to the Musée de l’Armée at the Invalides.

You can further learn about Napoléon in the exhibit dedicated to him taking place at La Villette from 19 May to 19 September, 2021, or by visiting the castles of Malmaison and Fontainebleau, two popular residences of the Emperor.

Alternatively, delve deeper into the history of the city’s art, architecture and film by pursuing one of our Paris Master’s Programmes.

Parisian History Focus: 150-Year Anniversary of the Paris Commune

The date of 18 March marked the 150th anniversary of the Commune de Paris, a two and a half month long insurrection which occurred in 1871, the last of France’s almost century of revolutions. It was sparked due to the instability which arose in the wake of the French defeat during the Franco-Prussian war and led to a power between the socialist “Communards” and the Republican Gard. The bloody episode in French history involved intense fighting in the streets of Paris and other deadly events. There are various sites around Paris which still bear witness to the Paris Commune. Below are some of the more relevant or visually evocative examples of these.

Plaza in front of Sacré-Coeur

The government’s attempt to remove the canons, placed in front of Sacré-Coeur to defend the city during the Franco-Prussian war, was a key factor in the outbreak of the insurrection on 18 March 1871 (see above photo). There were further canons in Menilmontant, Place des Vosges and other venues around the city.

Square Louise Michel

Although this small square at the bottom of Sacré-Coeur was created in the wake of the defeat of the Paris Commune, in 2004 it was renamed after Louise Michel. A school teacher in Montmartre, she became one of the best known figures of the Paris Commune.

Le mur des Fédérés – Cimetière du Père-Lachaise Photo: Roger Viollet

Le mur des Fédérés – Cimetière du Père-Lachaise

There is a memorial here on the spot where one-hundred and forty-seven fédérés, combatants of the Paris Commune, were shot at the foot of the wall and thrown into an open grave at the end of the revolt on 28 May 1871.

Villa des Otages (85 rue Haxo, 75020)

A café-concert at this address had been converted into a command post. On 26 May 1871, 52 hostages from the La Roquette prison, including 34 gendarmes and 11 Jesuits, were taken here and executed. There is a commemorative plaque labeled “villa des otages” on the outside of the building and a memorial is dedicated to them at the nearby Belleville cemetery.

Commune Graffiti in Eglise Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Photo: Un Jour de Plus a Paris

Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis

Few people know that this beautiful Baroque church in the Marais contains an interesting piece of Commune graffiti. Look for the second pillar on the right when entering the church and you can see the faint words “République française ou la mort” (French Republic or death) which were not able to be completely removed.

Hotel de Ville

The Communards set many buildings on fire during the rebellion. Some of these were so badly damaged that they were not rebuilt, like the Tuileries Palace and a palace which stood on the site where the Musée was later built. L’Hotel de Ville, Paris’s City Hall, was among the structures damaged yet restored.

Destruction of the Vendome Column

Colonne Vendome

A group of Communards, led by painter Gustave Courbet, torn down and badly damaged the column erected by Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 1800s. The artist was later forced to pay for it to be rebuilt, which led to his bankruptcy and exile to Switzerland.

You can learn more about the revolt in this recent article on the BBC or in the academic publications on the Digital Libraries site. As it is quite complex you can also get a better grasp of it via this useful Paris Commune timeline.

Exploring LGBTQ History in Paris

February is LGBTQ History Month in the UK. Here at the Paris School of Arts and Culture, we are commemorating this by putting a spotlight on a selection of queer writers, artists, performers, filmmakers and innovators, both French and foreign, who left an important mark on Paris, a city which has long been a more liberating and welcoming place for non-conforming creatives. Some are also featured in our MA Programmes in Film, Creative Writing and the Philosophy of Art History.

Novelist and Playwright Rachilde

Rachilde

A symbolist novelist and playwright, gender-bender Rachilde became one of the most important writers of the late 19th century. Born in the French countryside in 1860, Marguerite Vallette-Eymery moved to Paris at the age of 18, adopting a masculine haircut, started wearing men’s clothing and took up the pen name and gender ambiguous identity of Rachilde. Introduced via a cousin to the world-renowned actress Sarah Benhardt, Rachilde quickly integrated into the Parisian cultural world. Rachilde began hosting a weekly literary salon which was popular with other non-conformist writers and intellectuals. Rachilde is best known for the controversial erotic novel, Monsieur Venus, published in 1884 and which led being tried for pornography and convicted in absentia in Belgium.

Rachilde, along with Jane Dieulafoy and Marc de Montifaud, two other late 19th century writers who also did not conform to the era’s notions of femininity, are examined by Dr Rachel Mesch in her recent book Before Trans. Dr Rachel Mesch was a recent guest of the American Library in Paris’ Evenings with An Author series. You can view the recording of this discussion at this link.

Writer Oscar Wilde and lover Alfred Douglas

Oscar Wilde

Over the last 150 years, Paris became a haven for various foreign queer creatives, one of the earliest being Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde. In 1895, at the height of his success, Wilde was convicted of gross indecency with men and sentenced to two years of hard labour. Immediately upon his release, he exiled himself in France, first living in the northern seaside town of Berneval-le-Grand with his lover Robert Ross. This is where he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem describing the harsh realities of prison life. Wilde eventually moved to Paris, renting a room at l’Hôtel d’Alsace, a dingy hotel in the Saint-Germain neighhourhood which has since been transformed into the chic L’Hôtel. Impoverished, this is where Wilde tragically died of meningitis on 30 November 1900. His tomb in Pere Lachaise cemetery has become a pilgrimage site for fans the world over. In addition to Wilde’s own writings, the writer was the topic of the 2018 film The Happy Prince written and directed by, and starring Rupert Everett.

Colette in the “Dream of Egypt” show at the Moulin-Rouge in 1907, photo: Léopold-Émile Reutlinger / CC

Colette

Often considered as France’s greatest femme de lettres, Colette was open about her lesbian relationships (first encouraged by her first husband) and challenged gender norms throughout her career. In addition to writing, she was also a theatre performer and mime. During one such performance at the Moulin Rouge in 1907, entitled “La Reve d’Egypte (“The Dream of Egypt”), she caused an immense scandal by passionately kissing her lover, Mathilde de Morny, on stage. Colette wrote over 30 works, her most famous being the novella Gigi. Published in 1944, the book recounts the story of a young courtesan who defies tradition by marrying her wealthy lover. It was later adapted to film, first in 1949 by French director Jacqueline Audry and then in 1957 as a Hollywood musical film which went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. She too was the subject of a biopic in 2018; simply entitled Colette, it was directed by Wash Westmoreland and starred Keira Knightley.

Gertrude Stein, Basket and Alice B. Toklas in LIFE Magazine, Photography by Carl Mydans

Gertrude Stein & Alice B. Toklas

Influential figures in early 20th century literary and artistic circles, the American couple first met in Paris in 1906 and remained together until Stein’s death in 1946. In addition to collecting art, they hosted weekly salons in their apartment on rue Fleurus, which attracted to top artist and writers of the era. Stein wrote several books, including one on the great Spanish painter, Picasso, (studied in our Modernism and Paris module of our Paris MA Programmes) and The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, a quasi-memoir of their Paris years written in the voice of Alice B. Toklas. Tolkas also published a few works: two cookbooks and an autobiography entitled What Is Remembered.

Coccinelle in Europa di Notte, directed by Alessandro Blasetti

Coccinelle

A transgender French actress, entertainer and singer, Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy, who went by the stage name Coccinelle (French for ladybug/ladybird), was the first widely publicised post-war gender reassignment case in Europe. She made her debut as a transgender performer in 1953 at Madame Arthur, Paris’s first drag cabaret (which is still open and puts on an excellent show). In 1958 she underwent a vaginoplasty in Casablanca and became a media sensation upon returning to France. Her career continued to flourish, both on stage and on screen. In 1960 she married journalist Francis Bonne, which was the first transgender union to be legally recognised in France. Throughout her life, she was also an important advocate for transgender rights.

Living In Arcadia by Julian Jackson and André Baudry

André Baudry

A former seminarian and philosophy professor, André Baudry founded Arcadie in 1954, France’s first organisation for “homophiles”, a term Baudry preferred to “homosexuals”. A magazine and clubhouse followed soon afterwards. At the time, it was the only public voice for French gays and, over the course of its 30-year history, it became the largest group of its kind in France. The organisation garnered the support of a range of personalities from Jean Cocteau to Michel Foucault, however, that isn’t to say things were always smooth sailing. After its launch, the magazine was censured and forbidden for sale to minors. In 1955, Baudry himself was prosecuted for “outrage aux bonnes mœurs” (outrage against good morals), convicted, and fined 400,000 francs. The history of the organisation, and this time period in France, are explored in Historian Julian Jackson’s book Living in Arcadia (University of Chicago Press, 2009).

Writer James Balwin, Giovanni’s Room (1956)

James Baldwin

American writer and activist James Baldwin first came to Paris at the age of 24, attracted to the greater freedom France offered him as both a person of colour and a homosexual. Shortly after his arrival, Baldwin got involved in the cultural radicalism movement that was brewing in the Rive Gauche. He was also working on his second novel, Giovanni’s Room, which was published in 1956. Set in Paris, the story revolves around a tormented love affair between the American narrator, David, and Giovanni, an Italian bartender. The book caused considerable controversy at the time of its publication due to its homoerotic content, but went on to become a seminal work in queer literature. You can delve further into Giovanni’s Room in this powerpoint by Kent staff member Dr Declan Kavanagh or this article in the Guardian. Baldwin spent much of the rest of his life living in France, namely in the southern French village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, where he settled in 1970. The writer’s contributions to the Paris’s cultural heritage will be honoured with a new media library dedicated to him, scheduled to open in 2023.

Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, 1983. Foundation Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent.

Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé

Partners in life and business, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé’s impact on Paris’s creative world went far beyond fashion. Working as a designer for Dior, Yves Saint Laurent met businessman Pierre Bergé in 1958. They went on to launch Yves Saint Laurent’s own fashion house together in 1961. Although the couple’s relationship ended in 1976, they remained lifelong friends and business partners. In 2002 they created the Fondation Pierre-Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent in the designer’s former studio and offices, housed in a historic mansion in the 16th district of Paris. It hosts temporary exhibits on Saint Laurent’s work and provides support to cultural institutions and projects. You can view their collection online here or you may like to watch one of the two French films on the designer released in 2014; Jalil Lespert’s Yves Saint Laurent and Bertrand Bonello’s Saint Laurent, which was an official selection at that year’s Cannes Film Festival. You’ll have to watch both to decide which one you think is best!

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Further Resources

120 bpm – This is another recent film we can highly recommend. The movie chronicles how ACT UP Paris fought to increase awareness of queer rights and information on the AIDS crisis in the early 1990s in France. Directed by Robin Campillo, it won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2017 and six César Awards (the French Oscars) including Best Film.

Les Mots à la Bouche – You can find an extensive collection of books and DVDs at this LGBTQ bookshop located in the 11th arrondissement.

LGBTQ Centre Paris – This popular community centre in the Marais organises workshops, talks, has lending library and is a great resource on LGBTQ events, culture, wellbeing and activism in Paris.