Friday, 31 March 2023

Voltaire and Mme Denis

 The Voltaire Foundation blog features an essay by Nicolas Cronk on the relationship between Voltaire and Mme Denis.

Wednesday, 29 March 2023

PBS / BBC M.-A. biopic...again

According to a new article on the website Biography.com "Marie Antoinette Series Portrays the Queen as a Feminist Icon, But Some Historians Disagree" -  something of an understatement, it seems!  

Saturday, 25 March 2023

More on the Robespierre letter

A petition has been published in Le Monde by the historian Loris Chavanette to save for the nation the manuscript letter from Robespierre to Danton auctioned on 12th March.

Friday, 24 March 2023

Fire in Bordeaux

  The splendid 18th-century Hôtel de Ville in Bordeaux was set alight last night as part of protests against pension reforms. Fire ravaged the main door of the building and engulfed the front hall.

Sunday, 19 March 2023

Remembering Dale Van Kley

 The death on 14th March has been announced of Dale Van Kley, Emeritus Professor of history at Ohio State University.  We lose a learned expert on the 18th-century French church - and an insightful and compassionate historian. 

Thursday, 9 March 2023

Ireland's "Year of the French"

On March 7th the French Embassy in Ireland planted a Liberty Oak in the Gardens of the French residence in celebration of Ireland's "Year of the French".

Saturday, 4 March 2023

Forgotten women artists?

The latest London Review of Books  has a review of A Revolution on canvas: the rise of women artists in Britain and France, 1760-1830, by Paris Spies-Gans (originally published in June 2022)

Thursday, 2 March 2023

Iconic Robespierre letter to be auctioned

The Versailles auction house Osenat announces an upcoming sale, "Royalty in Versailles", to take place on 12th March.  Among many noteworthy lots, is the original manuscript of Robespierre's famous letter of 5th February 1793 to Danton.