Paris: Forgotten Women I Forgot
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
If you follow me at all, you know I love to write about Forgotten Women. Lately, of France.
Well, sometimes I'm guilty of forgetting about my forgotten women. Of moving on to the next fascinating story.
Today three of those women banged on my door, screaming Remember me??
Clotilde, the first queen of France and the reason France is Catholic. That was at my first stop, l'Eglise de la Madeleine.
Then, at the Hotel de la Marine, the banging got louder and louder - and definitely flashier.
Jewels glorious jewels! I'm a sucker for a sparkler...
Queens and Empresses and Dollar Princesses, oh my!
Loving jewels not merely for their beauty and literal value - but because of the power they symbolized. And accorded.
And for women - that often translated into protection. They were like their armor - it kept them safe.
Like the bandolier Catherine the Great wears.
How I miss her! Maybe we'll return to that musical one day?
The Vanderbilt Women. Another "forgotten show" of mine about Forgotten Women!
Alva Vanderbilt bought her daughter Consuelo some of the crown jewels of France and England for her wedding - which made her the Duchess of Marlborough. She got the title, her dour husband "Sonny" (ha!) got the bucks.
Alva's best friend - Consuelo's namesake - voilà her Dollar Princess crown. Even boring Grace was represented there.
The last item brought me screeching back to reality. The crown of the last shah of Iran.
Now his son - and former Crown Prince - is in the news - will he come into the picture? Wearing this crown? Unlikely...
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