Parisian Flemme

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In many ways, the history of the Louvre is the history of France, from the era of monarchs and the temples they built to their power to the radical ambitions of the French Revolution and Paris Commune. While many of the millions of tourists now flocking back to Paris will gawk at the architecture of the Louvre and its rich cultural offerings, an eye should also be turned to the history of this area of the French capital and the Tuileries, Paris’s missing palace; the disappearance of which marked the birth of the modern Louvre.

If you were out of a job in 19th century England and seeking new employment, there was a chance you might find a peculiar advertisement in the newspaper that read something like: "WANTED! Ornamental garden hermit". The profession would essentially require you to become a human ornamental folly on the grounds of a wealthy family estate, whilst living in a cave (or cottage, turret, hole, etc.), contemplating the human condition and enchanting the occasional passer-by with your presence at the behest of the landowner. Fallen on hard times and looking a little too unkempt to work for fancy aristocrats? Fear not, the more witchy and druid-like your appearance, the better!

Over half a century ago, change was brewing in Paris. Right outside my window in the Latin Quarter, from where I write this post to you, violent street battles were turning the city upside down and bringing the country to a standstill. They joke about how the French love to protest and go on strike as if it were a part-time hobby, but in May 1968, there was nothing to joke about when a series of initially peaceful student protests nearly started a French civil war.

Picture that moment when you finally get to the beach after a long winter, excitedly peel off your clothes, run madly towards the water and crash into the salty waves without a care in the world … this is not that. If you were a beachgoer in Georgian or Victorian times, more specifically, a female beachgoer, your day at the seaside would’ve likely had all the fun sucked out of it by a little invention known as the bathing machine.

“Forget your troubles and dance” were the wonderful lyrics once sang by Bob Marley and he wasn’t far wrong as we stepped into an old dance school that sits quietly at the bottom of a paved courtyard in Saint Germain. (7th arr) Not to be fooled though as the seemingly quiet exterior says nothing about the movements and music that is being played inside as a couple practises for their first dance.

It felt like the pavements of Paris could have melted these past few days. The city’s swimming pools were overflowing with splashing bodies and escape from the heat seemed futile. But there is one place, beneath the baking pavements, where only few will venture and plunge into the cool waters of the underworld. So let’s follow them to the deep end, the Parisian explorers known locally as the “cataphyles”, to find the secret swimming pools of the catacombs…

Hand crafted in France, these cotton and viscose blended scarves are incredibly soft with a mat, satin stitched finish.  Every Joume piece is artisanal and made with love to order. Colour may vary from piece to piece, as all are made using the lost art of cyanotype dyeing - rendering each creation to be truly unique.

May 28th, Act VIII : Best-selling author Elaine Sciolino and former Paris bureau chief for The New York Times joins us amidst her book tour for Adventures in the Louvre: How to Fall in Love with the World’s Greatest Museum. Become a Keyholder to join remotely or in person at the Cabinet.