Upper Middle Class? Paris is another world!
Of course The Mister and I are going to do the "big museums" of Paris. But I have heard how splendid the Jacquemart-Andre Museum is, so that's where we went today.
This museum is really a home that a couple built in Paris in the 1800s to house the artwork they were collecting. So half the fun of visiting was seeing this house ... and then enjoying their artwork.
The audio guide told us this couple was "upper middle class" and Earl and I kept saying to each other, "Upper middle class?!?" as we went through. Here's why we couldn't believe that label ...
Going to the Jacquemart-Andre at this particular time was especially great because they are having a special exhibit of Mary Cassatt paintings. Apologies to my friend Mary Helen Zolman who loves Mary Cassatt and will be disappointed I did not swipe one for her!
The show had Mary Cassatts on loan from New York's Metropolitan, London's National Gallery, and other museums -- plus some from private collections so it was an excellent time to be there! Look at Cassatt's talent ...
I never knew Mary Cassatt did not have children herself. But she paints children so beautifully. I couldn't help but compare a painting (below) in the museum painted by a man ... to any child painted by Cassatt. My mother always said that men don't know how to paint babies; they paint their heads way too small.
Added bonus: the museum uses the actual dining room (below) of the house as their cafe. What fun we had having a bite to eat here!
Today we also went to a church (below) where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were originally buried (but later moved).
On a gravestone, see the winged hourglass? I couldn't help but think of a popular saying. Do you know what I mean?
Earl and I also walked the streets of Paris (we're doing a lot of that).. and I saw the most beautiful store I ever saw.
But we didn't even go in! A stack of leather-bound notebooks in the window said the price was $800 each so I just window-looked. Still the prettiest store ever.
We also went to the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal but no photos were allowed so here's one from the internet (below):
Thanks for reading my blog!
Jane
This museum is really a home that a couple built in Paris in the 1800s to house the artwork they were collecting. So half the fun of visiting was seeing this house ... and then enjoying their artwork.
The audio guide told us this couple was "upper middle class" and Earl and I kept saying to each other, "Upper middle class?!?" as we went through. Here's why we couldn't believe that label ...
The show had Mary Cassatts on loan from New York's Metropolitan, London's National Gallery, and other museums -- plus some from private collections so it was an excellent time to be there! Look at Cassatt's talent ...
I never knew Mary Cassatt did not have children herself. But she paints children so beautifully. I couldn't help but compare a painting (below) in the museum painted by a man ... to any child painted by Cassatt. My mother always said that men don't know how to paint babies; they paint their heads way too small.
Added bonus: the museum uses the actual dining room (below) of the house as their cafe. What fun we had having a bite to eat here!
Today we also went to a church (below) where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were originally buried (but later moved).
On a gravestone, see the winged hourglass? I couldn't help but think of a popular saying. Do you know what I mean?
Earl and I also walked the streets of Paris (we're doing a lot of that).. and I saw the most beautiful store I ever saw.
We also went to the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal but no photos were allowed so here's one from the internet (below):
Thanks for reading my blog!
Jane
Upper middle class? So if you're dividing your society into even thirds (lower/middle/upper) -- there was a full third of society at that time living more opulently than that? I'm with you - I don't buy it.
ReplyDeleteThese jam-packed days are more like a Jones family vacation!
Absolutely beautiful,!
ReplyDelete