Tag: Père Lachaise Cemetery

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James Bond’s Lover

One of the things that has made it so fun to research these various World War II stories is how, after a while, people and their stories begin to overlap. In other words, you find various individuals showing up in multiple events connected by other participants or just being within the same orbit. One of these human “conduits” was Ian Fleming (1908−1964), the author of the James Bond novels.

During World War II, Fleming was a commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (same rank and naval group as James Bond). He worked for The Admiralty in the Naval Intelligence Division as Rear Admiral John Godfrey’s personal assistant (codename: “17F”). Fleming had all of his fingerprints on military operations such as Mincemeat, Ruthless, and Goldeneye. While primarily an administrator, from time-to-time, Fleming was used as a field agent. Once, he was assigned to follow one of the British double agents working to deceive Hitler into thinking that Pas-de-Calais would be the Allied target for the invasion of Europe. (click here to read the blog, The Double Cross System). Fleming’s wartime experiences provided a plethora of ideas that show up in his Bond novels (click here to read the blog, Explosive Rats) including the ingenious devices used by Bond.

Ian Fleming in naval uniform. Photo by anonymous (c. 1940). Courtesy of Ian Fleming Images/Maud Russell Estate Collection.
Ian Fleming in naval uniform. Photo by anonymous (c. 1940). Courtesy of Ian Fleming Images/Maud Russell Estate Collection.

After the war, Fleming bought property in Jamaica (birthplace of the fictional James Bond) and named it GoldenEye. In early 1952, Fleming began to write his first spy novel, Casino Royale, wherein the reader is introduced to James Bond. While Fleming likely based some of his characters on singular persons, many of them were composites of multiple people Fleming knew during his military career. This certainly applies to 007. Read More James Bond’s Lover

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Paris Art Nouveau

Everyone who travels returns home with certain images imbedded in their memories. One of the images of Paris that I have always retained is the decorative entrances to the métro stations. No, not every bulky, uninspired, or “run-of-the-mill” station but rather, those métro entrances that exhibit the iconic flamboyant signage designed in the style of Art Nouveau.

What is “Art Nouveau?” Art Nouveau, or “New Art” was an art movement that began around 1890 and ended in 1910. The movement was international (in England, it was known as “Modern Style”) and exhibited a style inspired by flowers and plants. There is a lot of movement with asymmetrical but sinuous and elegant lines. Materials used included glass, iron, and ceramics. By the end of World War I, Art Nouveau had disappeared and was replaced by Art Deco followed by Modernism.

Balcony created by Hector Guimard for the Musée Fonte d’art Saint-Dizier. Photo by G. Garitan (September 2013). PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. Wikimedia Commons.
Balcony created by Hector Guimard for the Musée Fonte d’art Saint-Dizier. Photo by G. Garitan (September 2013). PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. Wikimedia Commons.

Art Nouveau was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement (originating in Great Britain) and the first Art Nouveau architecture and interior design appeared in Brussels in 1890. It was quickly adopted by Hector Guimard in Paris. Artists such as Guimard, Alphonse Mucha, Aubrey Beardsley, and Louis Comfort Tiffany were leading proponents of Art Nouveau in architecture, jewelry, posters, graphic arts, and furniture. Mucha rejected the terminology of Art Nouveau. He said, “Art is eternal, it cannot be new.” However, the Paris art world quickly termed Art Nouveau as “le style Mucha,” or Mucha Style.

Detail of the mural at the Pavilion de la Bosnie-Herzégovine during the Paris Exhibition of 1900. Mural painting by Alfonse Mucha (c. 1900). Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra (June 2014). PD-CCA 2.0 Generic. Wikimedia Commons.
Detail of the mural at the Pavilion de la Bosnie-Herzégovine during the Paris Exhibition of 1900. Mural painting by Alfonse Mucha (c. 1900). Photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra (June 2014). PD-CCA 2.0 Generic. Wikimedia Commons.
Poster for the premier production of “Gismonda” starring Sarah Bernhardt. Lithograph poster by Alphonse Mucha (c. 1894). Gallica Digital Library – Sakai Collection. PD-Author’s Life + 80 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.
Poster for the premier production of “Gismonda” starring Sarah Bernhardt. Lithograph poster by Alphonse Mucha (c. 1894). Gallica Digital Library – Sakai Collection. PD-Author’s Life + 80 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.
“The Peacock Skirt” for Oscar Wilde’s play, “Salomé” (1892). Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley (c. 1892). PD-Author’s Life + 100 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.
“The Peacock Skirt” for Oscar Wilde’s play, “Salomé” (1892). Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley (c. 1892). PD-Author’s Life + 100 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.

Guimard was the first to embrace Art Nouveau in Paris when he agreed to design the first generation of entrances to underground stations of the new Paris métro system at the turn of the century. Read More Paris Art Nouveau