Tag Archives: social history

Lost Paris: A Night at the Palais-Royal

By Culture& Stuff | Published: July 1, 2011

It’s a July evening in 1786 and you’re visiting Paris for the first time. Perhaps you’re staying with an elderly aunt. You’re quite fond of the old goose really, and to give her her due, she’s been an expert guide to most of the sights of Paris you’ve always dreamt about. But she is a [...]

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Posted in 17th Century, 18th Century, Historical Places, History, Lost Paris, Paris, Royal History | Also tagged 17th century, 18th century, entertainment, lost paris, palais royal, Paris | 1 Comment

Lost Paris: All the Fun of the Fairs

By Culture& Stuff | Published: June 23, 2011

February in medieval Paris can’t have been much fun. When the sun went south for the winter, the city must have been a gloomy place, returning to its prehistoric origins as a swamp (the city’s Roman name, Lutetia, derives from lutum, Latin for mud, according to one persuasive theory) and life for your average Parisian [...]

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Posted in 17th Century, 18th Century, French History, Historical Places, History, Lost Paris, Medieval, Paris | Also tagged 17th century, 18th century, fairs, lost paris, medieval, popular entertainment | Leave a comment

Lost Paris: The Pont Neuf, ‘the Eiffel tower of the Ancien Régime’

By Culture& Stuff | Published: June 16, 2011

In the next three posts in the Lost Paris series, I’m going to be looking at the Pont Neuf, the fair held annually at Saint-Germain, and the Palais Royal. Though two of these three still exist, and are probably high on any visitor’s must-see list, what they are today is but a shadow of what [...]

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Posted in 17th Century, 18th Century, Historical Places, History, Lost Paris, Paris, Uncategorized | Also tagged bridge, entertainment, lost paris, Paris, pont neuf | 3 Comments

Queen Victoria’s Black Sheep: Prince Eddy and the Ripper Rumours, Part 2

By Culture& Stuff | Published: February 8, 2010

As we saw in Part 1 of this story, there are many theories on the real identity of Jack the Ripper doing the rounds, which range from the hypothetically plausible to the palpably absurd. Delving a little deeper, it is interesting to note how many of the suspects suggested over the years involve highly respected [...]