Louis XVI - an unwanted monument

A Restoration statue of Louis XVI now in Louisville, Kentucky, faces an uncertain fate. The statue, which came originally from Montpellier, stood outside Louisville's Metro Hall from 1967 until 2020, when it had to be taken down after damage during the George Floyd protests.

Memorial to the Swiss Guards

The news agency website CitizenSide.com features an article on Lucerne's lion monument, designed by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, which commemorates the Swiss Guards killed on 10th August 1792.

A gift from King Charles

During his state visit to France this week, Charles presented President Macron with a copy of the Voltaire Foundation's edition of the Lettres sur les Anglais (with the rest of the 205 volumes of Complete works to follow!).

Plans at Puy du Fou

 An article in the Guardian article discusses the  Puy du Fou theme park, its plans for expansion and the criticisms  levelled against it by left-wing historians, particularly in the wake of the film Vaincre ou Mourir. (See previous post, 30th Jan)

New Book on Bagatelle

Bagatelle: A Princely Residence in Paris by Nicolas Cattelain, is published in English on 21st September.  

The Girl with the Green Ribbon

 Mental Floss publishes a suitably off-the-wall post by Ellen Gutoskey, which takes its as its starting point the children's story "The Green Ribbon" by Alvin Schwartz published in 1984.

Juan Bautista Azopardo - biography

The Maltese historian Mark Camilleri has published a new biography of the remarkable  Juan Bautista Azopardo - Revolutionary, corsair and creator of the Argentinian navy.

Michel Biard on the last Montagnards

  A new book by Michel Biard, entitled Les Derniers Jours de la Montagne (1794-1795), is published by on 13th September. 

Revolutionary furniture at Vizille

As part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, the Museum of the French Revolution in Vizille is hosting an exhibition, "French Revolution Style: Furniture, Works of Art, and Wallpapers" (30th June 2023 — 11th March 2024).

The resting place of Marshal Ney?

 French researchers for the French television series Histoire au Scalpel have finally debunked the (admittedly unlikely) theory that Marshal Ney  miraculously escaped execution and can be identified with Peter Stuart Ney, a schoolteacher from Rowan County, North Carolina, who died in 1846.

Breguet watches at the Science Museum

 A new temporary exhibition opens at the Science Museum in Kensington to mark the 200th anniversary of the death of the great French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet.

Peter Mcphee on the Statue of Liberty

Australia's ABC Radio series Night Life has already featured Peter McPhee talking about the Eiffel Tower.  Now here he is on the Statue of Liberty (Broadcast on Sunday 30th July)