Saturday morning, 15 December 1894, was cold, wet, and gloomy in Paris but that didn’t stop the small crowd of protesters who had come to the gates of Père Lachaise Cemetery to jeer at the procession. The object of their disdain was the old man who died eight days earlier at the age of eighty-nine. Despite the dignitaries and their eloquent speeches about the deceased, the protesters couldn’t and wouldn’t forgive Monsieur de Lesseps for being responsible for the loss of their life savings. M. de Lesseps was considered a national hero until his last act when his reputation was ultimately destroyed.

Did You Know?

This is the first of a series of blogs on men and women you’ve likely never heard of. I’ve run across many interesting people over the years of doing research for the blogs and the books. From time-to-time I will introduce you to some of them. They will all have two things in common: first, each of them is buried in a Paris cemetery and second, each will have led an extremely interesting life with interesting stories to tell you about. These are the characters who will be included in my future book, Where Did They Bury Jim Morrison, the Lizard King? A Walking Tour of Curious Paris Cemeteries. The people you and I visit may not be every day household names but they will entertain you.

So, what does M. de Lesseps share with P.T. Barnum? As you know, Mr. Barnum was a celebrated American showman, businessman, and politician. He was an effective speaker, persuasive in his arguments, did not give up in the face of absurd odds, and affected everyone he came in contact with. This pretty much sums up M. de Lesseps.

Let’s Meet Ferdinand de Lesseps

Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805−1894) was born into a family whose roots could be traced back to 14th-century Spain. His father was in the French diplomatic service in Italy (Napoléon made him a count). Ferdinand was educated in Paris and eventually entered the diplomatic corps. While serving in Alexandria Egypt, Ferdinand read a book about the Ancient Suez Canal which intrigued him enough to later propose building a modern version. By 1837, he had returned to France and married the daughter of the prosecuting attorney at the court of Angers (the capital of the important Middle Ages and Renaissance province of Anjou). The couple had five children of whom the eldest was Charles Théodore. Read More The French P. T. Barnum

One of the biggest disappointments of our recent trip to Paris was the inability to visit Picasso’s apartment studio where he lived and worked for almost twenty years including the entire four years of the German occupation. There are numerous photos of Picasso in the apartment and I was hoping to be able to present them to you along with contemporary images. Oh well—hopefully the building owners and the French government can work something out to allow visitors to the attic apartment (more on this later).

Despite an exodus of artists and gallery owners prior to the Germans entering Paris on 14 June 1940 and numerous offers to sponsor him in America, Pablo Picasso decided to remain in Paris. To this day, the real reason for why he stayed is unknown and can only be speculated.

There were three primary reasons why Picasso might have considered leaving France and conversely, reasons to be worried about his safety while remaining in Paris. First, the Nazis had declared his work to be “degenerate” art and eventually destroyed many of his paintings. Second, Picasso supported the Republican cause during the Spanish Civil War and as such, was an opponent of fascism and Hitler. Third, Picasso was suspected of being a Communist or at least having Communist sympathies. The one thing he did have in his favor was an international reputation that may have protected him. Learn more here.

Picasso was kept under constant surveillance during the occupation. German officers would visit him in his attic apartment−studio, and “hideout” at 7, rue des Grands Augustins (aka Grenier des Grands Augustins) in the Left Bank’s sixth district. Sometimes the Gestapo visits were to interrogate him. Other visits were by German officers wanting to meet and talk with the world-famous painter.

7, rue des Grands Augustins. Photo by Mbzt (6 January 2012). PD-Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

Category: Paris

The French P. T. Barnum

Let’s Meet Ferdinand de Lesseps

Picasso’s Wartime Man Cave

Let’s Meet Pablo Picasso

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