Saturday, May 29, 2010

Recollection: Mother’s Youth and the House of Worth


Sunday May 30th is Mother’s Day in France. On this occasion I used to give my mother a hydrangea plant (hortensia.) One year it would be a white plant, the next a pink then a blue.

Click on any picture to enlarge it

She liked this flower, in any color, and planted them later in the back yard.


This year would have been her hundredth birthday as she was born in May 1910. Last year, on her birthday, I wrote a post on my grandparents and my mother’s childhood. This is a continuation of that post – you can read it here.


Avenue de l’Opéra, Edouard Léon Cortes, French 1882-1969

1910 had not started as a good year for Paris. After much rain in the fall the river Seine in Paris flooded in January 1910 its height raising to 8 meter 68 (28.30 feet.) The city as well as many suburbs were paralyzed. Twenty thousand buildings were flooded and 150,000 left homeless. The metro, trains and public transport stopped; people used boats. There was no clean water, electricity, gas or telephone. My grandfather who collected postcards gave me about 16 postcards on the Paris flood. Below are some of them:


From left to right: Porte de Bercy, Gare St Lazare, Quartier de Javel, Rue de Verneuil, Bois de Boulogne, boat ferrying passengers for 5 cents between Rue Alboni and Pont de Passy. Click on the pictures, and click on each picture again

My mother was born in Paris about 3 months after the water receded. My grandmother, as it was done in those days, sent the baby to Normandy to stay with a wet nurse. Mother is with her wet nurse in the picture below.



She rejoined my grandparents when she was about 15 months old. She had pale red hair and light blue-green eyes, a shade of aqua. Here is a picture of mother when she returned to Paris.




Last year on her birthday I talked about mother’s childhood until she was attending school in Paris. Her parents would have liked her to keep studying but after receiving her Certificat d’Etudes (a primary school certificate abolished in 1989) she decided to go into apprenticeship to become a dressmaker. Because of World War I my grandmother had lost her dry cleaning shop and my grandfather’s job was not paying much. My grandmother dreamed to have a small house built and saved on everything to that end. Mother, an only child, loved sewing and wished to help her mother achieve her dream. My grandmother had started to work as a drycleaner specialist in the clothing department of the Galeries LaFayette, a large department store in Paris. She had a degree in chemistry which helped as at that time there were not many dry cleaning products available. Below is a picture of grandmother in 1925.



Both my grandparents liked politics and grandmother joined the French suffragettes. Her group organized a strike in front of the Galeries LaFayette in 1925 to demand voting rights as shown in the picture below. It was not until 1944 though that French women obtained the right to vote.


Grandmother and her suffragettes on strike, grandmother is in the middle, second row, feather on her hat

Mother started her sewing apprenticeship as a “petite main” (little hand) in a high fashion house in Paris. She explained to me that at first the only thing she did was to pick up stray pins. She then went on to learn how to cut, apply trim, beads and laces, sew a variety of styles with different fabrics, how to drape and finish. She worked her way up in the workroom to hand finisher and then Première d’Atelier. (Top person in the high fashion studio.)


Atelier de Couture, Brindeau, French, 1867-1943

Not all designers know how to draw, cut and sew. The Premiere d’Atelier, who heads the studio, is the designer’s right hand and the link between the workroom and him. It is a very important position as it is her job to take the designer’s original sketch and translate it into a prototype pattern that can be made by the dressmakers in the workroom. She must know all the techniques required to execute the design and have the ability to translate the designer’s idea into the right fabric, buttons, etc. Mother worked hard but she also went out dancing often with her friends.


1920s’ flapper (from the internet, unknown author)

Mother worked for the House of Worth, one of the top high fashion houses in Paris at the time. Charles Frederic Worth came from England and in 1858 opened a high fashion house in Paris. His original idea was to present his collections to his clients by having models wear them in a live show. The fashion from his house was identified by his name. He had a new fashion show each year. Since then almost every high fashion house has continued to organize their business like Worth. He is known as the “Father of Haute Couture.” Frederic Worth’s clients included Queen Victoria, The Russian Tsarina and many high celebrities. By the 1920s, when my mother worked there, the House of Worth was operated by Worth’s grandchildren, Jean-Charles and Jacques. The clientele still included the international nobility, celebrities and wealthy high society of the time.

Below are some of Worth’s creations from the ‘20s. Drawing by George Barbier.

The House of Worth's creations were dramatic, elegant and superbly crafted with a high quality finish. They were works of art that could be worn.




With mother’s help my grandparents were finally able to have “un petit pavillon” (a small detached house) built in Courbevoie, a small suburb then 5.1 miles (8.2 kms) from the center of Paris. Below is the house upon completion. Later on when I visited my grandparents there were many shrubs and plants around the house. But years later, their house was condemned by the government as was the whole neighborhood to make a business park. Later on the Arche de la Defense was built close to where their house once stood.




Mother went to the French Riviera, in Juan les Pins, at that time (the late ‘20s) on a special high fashion assignment. There were many wealthy patrons living there. The designs were created on the human figure to fit the client’s measurements and then manipulated for a perfect fit. She still had time to go to the beach and dance the tango some afternoons.


Mother is on the right


My grandparents drove south to visit her.




I believe she stayed on the Riviera for 6 months, then came back up to Paris and to her parent’s home.




She loved her job but she also had fun with her friends. She would go with them to the “Thé Dansant” (tea dancing.) These took place in many dance halls in Paris for a couple of hours in the afternoon and were quite popular. The king of tango from Argentina, Carlos Gardel , had played in Paris several times and become very successful. Everyone danced the tango. In my next post I’ll continue on mother’s youth – and tango.


Mother with one of her friends (mother is on the right)

Paris was a wonderful place in the early 1930s for a young woman. It was a time of freedom and many experiences. Mother was surrounded with sophisticated people, the jet set as well as the little Parisian dressmakers. Everyone had fun. The radio and cinema were popular. Jazz had arrived from America accompanied by many American expat writers. Paris had become the capital for freethinking intellectuals and avant-garde artists.


Arc de Triomphe, 1932, by Tavik Frantisek Simon, Czech, 1878-1942

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-


The hydrangeas on this post were photographed two days ago in LaGrange in Georgia. There are many types and colors of hydrangeas in this town which will celebrate its 10th year Hydrangea Festival the second week-end of June as explained here.


61 comments:

Pondside said...

I enjoyed this post very much.
You are fortunate to have so many good photographs of your family. They are a great window on the past - the clothing, the attitudes and the livelihoods of the era. It's interesting to me to think that while your family was so engaged in France, mine was struggling through the Great Depression in Nova Scotia - hand to mouth existence. Haute Couture would have been the last thing they'd have considered at a time when children in some families shared shoes.
Thanks so much for sharing this interesting piece of family history with us.

Vicki Lane said...

So fascinating! I've read several novels set in Paris in the era -- and in the fashion houses. Your mother was certainly an enterprising woman!

Love the fashion illustrations and I look forward to more on the tango.

Dutchbaby said...

I love this post. I love hortensia and am glad that they are back in vogue. Your mother's story is wonderful. I love the old photographs of your mother and the other images you chose for this post. Première d’Atelier at the House of Worth is incredibly impressive. Worth's designs all have strong lines, beautiful proportions and magical colors. I remember giving my mother Je Reviens perfume for her birthday many years ago. I wrote a post about my mother's early years a year ago (http://godutchbaby.blogspot.com/2009/05/oma-amsterdam-to-lubeck.html). I'm overdue for another installment. Thanks for the inspiration.

Virginia said...

Your photos and the vintage cards are just a delight. Thank you for this wonderful post.

I too love the hydrangeas. I have oakleaf ones in the yard with their huge white blooms. Ahhhhh!

I think we're sending thunderstorms your way. WE had them all afternoon and night and it's just now clearing up.

V

Paty said...

Thank you for sharing your family history with us, it is very interesting. I love those ancient pictures. And I love hydrangeas too!

Friko said...

I am so glad you are continuing with the history of your family. The times you describe come alive in your story. It is amazing to have such close connections with Paris as the fashion capital of the world; perhaps you could enlarge on what your mother told you of the times even more?
I for one would be very interested.

Hydrangeas are beautiful flowers, I have several varieties of them growing in the garden but they are still naked shrubs with a few leaves at the moment, and their flowers won't come until late summer.

tasteofbeirut said...

J'adore moi aussi les hortensias; on en avait tout un bosquet dans le jardin de la maison de mes parents en France; les souvenirs de ta mère sont vraiment intéressants; je ne savais pas que Paris avait subit ce marée (flood c'est quoi?) bref, et je connais un peu la période de la grande couture; mes parents ont connu Hubert de Givenchy (bien après Worth) mais c'était une période grand glamour; dommage, il n'en reste plus grand chose. Je connais bien Carlos Gardel et le tango argentin que j'ai étudié un peu. Ta mère est un personnage fascinant; je voudrais en savoir plus!
au fait, j'ai fait une confiture traditionelle libanaise de figues avec de l'anise et du sésame, si ça t'interesse
/www.tasteofbeirut.com/2010/02/dried-fig-compote-with-walnuts-and-sesame-seed/

Anonymous said...

Your hydrangea plants bring back lots of memories for me. We used to call the white ones, (which is the color most people had), snow ball bushes. I enjoyed the many photos of your mother and her stylish manner. I also like the The House of Worth's creation pictures as they are very much like Japanese art is or was. Wow. What a nice post.

STREETFSN said...

love this post so much !!
all photos are amazing :D

I'm a fashion photographer.
visit to see my archive you will love them :D

http://streetfsn.blogspot.com

DJan said...

Your mother and grandmother were very interesting people! And now I know where you get your personality! Great post, filled with all kinds of variety. I especially liked looking at the style of the clothes in that era.

Ruth said...

Wonderful post. About Dutchbaby's comment, I didn't know hydrangea went out of fashion.

I love them too, they have always been one of my favorite flowers. Happily there was already a large stand of white hydrangea by the barn. It was one of the reasons I fell in love with this place.

Oh so many things of interest and enjoyment in this post. I LOVE Cortes' paintings of Paris. Such a distinctive quality to his colors and textures.

I never knew about the flood!

Your mother's story reminds me of Coco Chanel's. We watched "Coco Before Chanel" recently and loved it. I recommend it if you haven't seen it yet. She had fun too.

The flapper image reminds me of the American Woman exhibit I saw a couple weeks ago at the Met. It's fabulous, and the flapper dresses were gorgeous.

My grandmother was a Vogue designer, and created sewing patterns for them. Yes, those times in the 1920s and '30s were even a time of liberation for women in the U.S. We women got our right to vote in 1920, I think, and even the flapper lifestyle is a good representation of the freedom from constricting clothes and morés.

You have chosen gorgeous images, as always, including your own beautiful photos and the family photographs - so interesting - especially to me in light of my current post. Thank you for your good comment there.

I would like very much to sit and chat now.

Anonymous said...

Such beautiful flowers, the hydrangeas. They are not, for the most part, hardy enough to flourish here. It was one of my favorite things about Europe when I visited-seeing all of them in different colors.
What an interesting thing, to make postcards of a flood. I think it would not even be considered now to make a postcard of a natural disaster.
Loved the post, we need to know more of our past generations' lives to see them as real people.
Looking forward to more.

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Chère Vagabonde,

You are so right regarding the cultural differences in viewing the work ethic and time off. I am a teacher, and at first, I was so intimidated by those individuals who would get to school early, leave late, work on the weekends....I don't envy them. I have to, if I want to be an effective teacher, have time for MYSELF to enjoy the things that I love so that I not only will I be refreshed to teach and be with children, but so that I can also develop my vision so that I can inspire as well as deliver lessons. Oh, how I wish more Americans would understand La Joie de Vivre!!!! Anita

Ashley Ashbee said...

Aw! Such a loving tribute to your mom. Looks like she had quite an exciting fashion career in both design and creation -- just look what she's wearing in those pictures!! Wow! I love her hair and hats.

Hydrangeas are a perfect gift. So beautiful! I'm trying to keep my neighbor's alive, as I am dogsitting.

Amanda said...

Leesa from "News from France" emailed me this address and I think you will find the blog interesting.
http://www.mytartelette.com/
I will try to find more, written in french. I used to read one from a young french woman in Australia but it was not very interesting.
Joyeuse fete des meres!

Ann said...

my first visit here...spent a long time enjoying your posts. I am so looking forward to your next. Your writing,the photos...a pure joy ! thank you for taking the time to share in such a way that your reader feels "present"!

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

What a wonderful tribute to your Mother Vagebonde. I love all the pictures and the great information of her life. Beautiful post.

sablonneuse said...

What a wonderfully interesting account. I was amazed and a little shocked to learn that it was accepted practice to send babies to a wet nurse for the best part of a year. I would have thought it was quite traumatic for mother and baby alike - not to mention difficult to form a bond when the baby eventually came home.
On the other hand, looking at the photos, your mother seemed to have thrived on the experience and it certainly didn't prevent her from leading a fulfilling life.

kyh said...

I love this post too!! Sorry for the long absence - I've been on a long break from my blogging routine. Decided to keep myself busy with other things as well as my internship programme. :)

Ah.. Never knew that Paris was hit with such a serious flood! I really enjoy reading this - the story of your family. Seems like they have had a really interesting life! no regrets for them, I guess? :)

BJM said...

Most interesting! As a person who has enjoying sewing all my life I found your story - a photos! - most enjoyable!

✿France✿ said...

Juste un petit bonsoir en espérant que tu vas bien

Anonymous said...

I love the old pictures! So your family was right in the middle of French history - interesting!

Linda said...

My grandmother, nee Petit Jean, sat in her new home in 1906 and decided what she wanted to see from each window. First, clouds of hydrangeas under the windows. They are still there. And bourbon roses I could smell a hundred yards away.

I love your mother's life and that you share so unselfishly. And the postcards and pictures are such a treat. Thank you.

Je Reviens is on my dressing table. There is nothing like it.

Owen said...

Just wanted to thank you for your recent visits to my obscure little blog, and to compliment you for this amazing and touching voyage down memory lane... what a beautiful tribute to a mother... so good that you have all that history and photographs to remember...

Ginnie Hart said...

Another day, another time! It's so fun, Vagabonde, to go back to what once was...a different way of living and being. And yet, in our own way, we see the things we can relate to...knowing our own kids will do the same years from now.

You clearly come from good stock! I smile when I think of that. I feel the same way about my heritage through my mom's line in particular. You mentioned that your grandmother had a degree in chemistry. WOW. That's saying something! My mom had a Masters in music or education back in the 30's and I thought that was saying something. I love it...all of it. Praise to your mom and grandmother who brought you into this world...made better because you are in it. And I mean that sincerely.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

This was such a fascinating post about your mother and her family. I had no idea babies were sent away to wet nurses.

I loved all of the old photos. How fabulous you have these to remember your family by. My grandmother was a suffragette in this country. I didn't realize French women didn't get to vote until during WWII.

The House of Worth was the premier design house, as you said. Your mother had an experience of a lifetime, one most girls only dream of. I seem to remember the House of Worth had a fragrance, but I can't recall the name.

I've so enjoyed this. Fashion is fascinating to me and I love all of the history. Thanks so much for sharing your family's fascinating story.
Sam

Louis la Vache said...

What a fine histoire of your mother; a loving tribute to her for Mother's Day in France!

PeterParis said...

I loved to read this!! ... and it's so perfectly illustrated!

By the way, Carlos Gardel had a French mother (and an unknown father) and was obviously born in France before his mother moved to Buenos Aires. ... and you know you that you are welcome to some tango dancing on the Seine quays - every summer nice weather night!

Darlene said...

I loved this post and your wonderful tribute to your mother. She was a fantastic lady. Your mother and I share the month of May as our birthday month. I think your mother must have been a true Gemini.

You are fortunate to have so many photos. I only have ones of my mother when she was queen of the rodeo and of her as a toddler.

""°o.O Nancy O.o°"" said...

*** Coucou Vagabonde ! :o) J'aime beaucoup l'idée des anciennes photos qui retracent bien les vies de ta maman et de ta grand-mère. C'est extrêmement émouvant.
La photo de l'ancienne maison dans l'ouest parisien m'interpelle puisque bientôt j'habiterai pas loin de la Défense.
Les hortensias sont magnifiques, je comprends tout à fait que ta maman les aimait tant !
***GROSSES BISES et à très bientôt Vagabonde ! :o) Merci pour ce partage ***

claude said...

Quel joli post Vagabonde, j'adore !
Pourquoi, paerce que tu as ressortis de vielles photos de famille et que ma Grand-Mère était couturière aussi à Paris, mais dans une maison de couture moins nettement moins chic. Mon Pépé, lui, était électricien.
Quand la femme du frère de ma Mémé est décédée( elle tenait une loge de concierge au 17 de la rue Campagne première) mes grands-Parents ont abandonné leur boulot respectif pour prendre une loge au n° 9 afin d'aider mon oncle.
Ma Mémé est décédée en Décembre 2004 elle avait 101 ans et 3 mois. A croire que la couture conserve.
C'est un beau post en hommage à ta Mman qui a eu une longue vie, elle aussi. Ma Maman aura 88 ans en novembre prochain.
Contente que tu aies reçu ma carte postale.

Amanda said...

Je vous ai ecrit un mail mais je ne pouvais pas l'envoyer. J'abandonne pour les blogs de Francais aux Etats-Unis mais si vous allez chez
http://www.mes-parfums-d-egypte.com/
sur la gauche, elle a une liste de bloggeurs francais qui habitent a l'etranger, j'espere qu'il y en aura un d'ici.
Je n'ai pas de blog moi-meme mais j'ai quelques blogs francais par des Francais que je lis tous les matins. Aussi je lis tous les jours "la depeche du midi" et j'ecoute RTL, France Inter et Radio nostalgie. C'est en direct.
Moi aussi j'oublie mon francais apres a vivre ici pour 31 ans. Mon fils et moi retournons en France tous les 2 ans. J'ai encore 13 ans avant la retraite mais j'aimerais partager ma vie entre les Etats-Unis et la France (si c'est possible). En tous cas, je suis tres contente d'avoir trouver mes blogs et de rester en contact avec la France de cette maniere.
Votre post sur votre maman etait tres beau. Une de mes soeurs habitait a Aubazine ou Coco Chanel a appris la couture (l'abbaye d'Aubazine est la photo que j'utilise quand j'ecris des commentaires).

Viviane said...

Tout d'abord merci pour votre passage chez moi, c'est très gentil et j'apprécie. Je n'ai pas pu répondre avant j'étais débordée... comme bien souvent....
Je réponds en français, car si je comprends votre langue, je suis incapable de l'écrire, je l'ai apprise au contacts de personnes qui travaillaient avec moi, je lis, je comprends et je parle, mais pour écrire... je n'ai pas fait l'effort de le faire au moment voulu... et je dois avouer que je trouvais toujours quelqu'un pour mettre mes rapports et mes conférences en anglais... voilà, comment on encourage la paresse!
Vous avez eu unbe maman (et une grand-maman) fantastique! ma mère adorait les orchidées, elle en avait des centaines et plus... elle ne s'en lassait jamais! chaque anniversaire et chaque fête des mamans, je lui porte des orchidées et je lui fais remarquer que ce ne sont pas les mêmes que la fois précédente (j'espère qu'elle m'entend!)
Je vous souhaite une bonne soirée et je vous dis à bientôt
Amicalement
Viviane

Tess Kincaid said...

This is a fabulous post. I adore vintage family photos and you have such a story to tell! Thanks so much for stopping by Willow Manor. Let me know how you like the blueberry cornmeal cake!

lorilaire said...

C'est émouvant cet hommage à ta maman!
La mienne aussi à disparue et aimait les hortensias!
J'aime beaucoup tes photos anciennes et tout particulièrement celle de la jeune femme accoudée sue ses genoux.

Merci pour ce moment de vie.
Bisous Laurence

Reader Wil said...

Moi, j'aime aussi les hortensias. elles commencent toujours comme des fleurs blanches ou bleues, mais après un an elles changent de couleur aussi chez moi.
J'ai beaucoup de hortensias dans mon petit jardin.
La grande crue était terrible!
J'aime aussi l'histoire de votre mère! Merci de raconter cette pièce de l'histoire.

Elisa said...

J´adore ton article vagabonde. Bravo!
Bises et bonne journée
Elisa, Argentine

Karin B (Looking for Ballast) said...

Hello!

Thank you for visiting my blog and I am so pleased that you did! It has led me to your educational, historical, and delightful post here. :) I really enjoyed all of the images with this blog and to know something about your family's story. I love to know people's stories in life, and this one was really wonderful to read. My best friend, an American, lives in Antibes now, so close to Juan les Pins. I could imagine that part of your mother's story so clearly as a result. I would have loved to have seen that part of France in the Roaring 20s! Ahhh, what a time that must have been.

Thank you for posting this!

Pame Recetas said...

I am so thrilled with this story, your mother was a brave women an avant-gard I guess and lucky enough to work in such interesting job, she had a very interesting life , no wonder you're so proud of her. She deserves all the hortensias!

""°o.O Nancy O.o°"" said...

*** Coucou Vagabonde ! Un petit bonjour en passant, merci pour ton message chez moi ! :o) j'espère que tu vas bien. GROS BISOUS et bonne continuation à toi !!!!!!!!! ***

sil said...

Oh my! What a wonderful read! Thanks for sharing your mother's incredible story and images. They are both fascinating. I did not know of the Paris flood - so I've learned something! :)

Joy Des Jardins said...

I really enjoyed reading this post...and what a beautiful tribute to your mother. What a very special lady she was. She has a beautiful history. Those old photos are just wonderful...and of course the flowers; I just love the flowers. Thanks so much... ~Joy

bowsprite said...

what beautiful journeys you take us on, Vagabonde! with your words and the art, it is a very evocative, dreamy thing, bringing up images that I almost believe are old memories of my own. How do you do that?? Merci!

Marguerite said...

Such a lovely tribite to your mother! She was quite ahead of the times and I enjoyed reading about her journey. As always, this post is beautifully illustrated and so interesting! Thanks for sharing a bit of your family history.

alaine@éclectique said...

Hello Vagabonde, a quick note because I'm coming back to read this post when I have more time - hubby needs some editing done!! This post looks so interesting (as usual) and I want to read the first one. Thank you for visiting! xa

Deborah said...

Chère Vagabonde,
What a fascinating, descriptive, interesting post! Well, just like all your other posts are, so no surprise there. It's wonderful that you have all these old photos and that your recollection of the family history is so clear. You really pay hommage to your mother in this piece, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. She was quite a woman, obviously! (I suspect you take after her)

When watching a piece on the news a few months ago about the dreadful floods in the west of France, an expert was asked for his opinion about the area most vulnerable to flooding in the country. 'Paris', he said.

Maggie said...

I have just spent 5 glorious minutes lost in early 1900's Paris, such a treat.
The postcard mosaic of Paris during the flood is very interesting, I think that some of the buildings shown in the Gare St Lazare card are still there.
I so enjoyed reading about your grandmother and mothers, such fascinating women.
I look forward to hearing more.....
Maggie
BTW I love hortensia's too and wrote a blog about them a couple of months ago for A-T.
http://normandylife.blogspot.com/2010/03/alphabe-thursdayh-is-for-hydrangeas.html

Snowbrush said...

My mother loved hydrangeas too, and would bury old nails nearby because she believed the rust would make them more colorful. I don't know where she got that idea or wether there was anything to it. She was just a wee bit younger than your mother, having been born in 1914.

I loved the old photos. It's good to get that kind of thing online, methinks.

Vagabonde said...

Pondsite, Vicki Lane, Dutch Baby, Virginia, Paty, Friko, Abraham Lincoln, Djan, Ruth, alwaysinthebackrow, Castles Crowns and Cottages, loveable_homebody, SAPhotographs, sablonneuse, kyh, BMJ, Zhu, Linda, Ginnie, My Carolina Kitchen, Louis la Vache, Peter, Darlene, Pamela, sil, Joy des Jardins, Bowsprite, Marguerite, Alaine, Deborahand Snowbrush - Thanks for your visit and for leaving a note. I enjoy reading all your insightful comments. If will try to answer some of your comments on my next post. Your visits always make my days more enjoyable. I really appreciate the time and effort you put in your comment and will visit your blogs in return. It's nice to read y'all.

Vagabonde said...

Tasteofbeirut, France,lorilaire, Reader Will et Elisa – Merci d’avoir passé par mon blog et d’avoir laissé une note. Je suis très contente de lire vos gentils commentaires et remarques - j’essairai d’y répondre dans mon prochain post. C’est toujours une joie pour moi de vous lire. J’apprécie le temps que vous avez passé sur mon blog et je visiterai le votre bientôt.

Vagabonde said...

StrettFSN, Ann, Owen, Willow, Karin (an alien parisienne), Maggie B – Thanks for coming to my blog and welcome! Thanks also for leaving kind comments about my post. It’s a pleasure to meet you all and I hope you will come back.

Vagabonde said...

Nadège – merci pour vos efforts – j’ai trouvé quelques blogues en français et je suis contente de pouvoir les suivre. Dans quel état habitez vous? Si vous voulez m’envoyer un email voici l’adresse: bookeen@live.com. Moi aussi j’aime retourner en France. Quand maman était en vie j’y retournais tous les ans, au printemps et en automne, maintenant je n’y vais plus si souvent. Merci de passer par mon blog.

Vagabonde said...

Viviane – Je suis contente que vous commentiez en français. Je suis française mais du fait que j’habite aux USA depuis des années je ne le parle que rarement. Merci pour la visite et j’espère que vous reviendrez.

Nancy - Bon retour sur mon blogue. Cela ma fait toujours plaisir de voir tes gentils commentaires. Tes visites m’avaient manquêes pendant ton arrêt de bloguer.

Claude – c’est intéressant que toi aussi tu avais de la famille dans la couture. Ta mémé est morte à un grand age. Ma mère est décédée à 92 ans, mais elle avait la maladie de Parkinson.

RennyBA's Terella said...

What a beautiful post and a great contribution to your Mother - what an interesting story about her! Thanks for sharing!

Happy Weekend dear blog friend :-)

maría cecilia said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
""°o.O Nancy O.o°"" said...

*** Un gros bisou et une pensée amicale pour toi Chère Vagabonde ! Passe un bon dimanche ! :o) ***

islandgirl4ever2 said...

Hi there Vagabonde,

If I could pick a time period to go back and live in- it would be the mid 20s... I am in love with the era... Thanks for sharing these pictures and story about your mom. It's really amazing!

Take care,
Leesa

Dutchbaby said...

I would like to hear you say "y'all" with your French accent :-D

Putz said...

ahhhh pareee>>>i have been on 7 of the eight bridges you mentioned, and only was thrown off one of them>>>>i would go from verdun or etain on weekends almost every weekend on my little mobolette motor bike to paris, and spent most of my time indoors at the louve or other museums or on the champs irratating french impressionalists{had my bust immortalized by one]>>>i am glad yoour theme is europe once again>>>I FELL IN LOVE WITH A FRENCH GIRL, BUT WAS ONLY EIGHTEEEN AND WHEN I RETURNED TO THE STATES, SHE WAS LOST AS I HAD TO CONCENTRATE ON A COLLEGE DEGREE

✿France✿ said...

BONJOur
je viens te dire bonjour
j'espére que tu vas bien ?
Ici il fait chaud mais ce matin du vent
donc génial une belle journée.
Je ne sais pas ce que tu vas faire mais bisou et bonne journée

Josephine Fletcher said...

Do you know of a model from the House of Worth who modeled in the 1930's. I met her a wonderful person in her eighties in 1996 in Palma de Mallorca.Her name was Gwendoline Alison. J.Fletcher

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