Rosa Bonheur, Broad with a Brush

Rosa Bonheur, Broad with a Brush

Does the name Rosa Bonheur mean anything to you ? Hint: She was the most well-known female French painter in the 19th century, the first woman painter to receive the Legion of Honor (presented by the Empress Eugenia herself). Still no bells? She painted animals. Still no idea? Well don't feel bad it seems most French people don't know who she is either. In fact despite being French, born in Bordeaux, growing up in Paris and then living in a château with menagerie on the edge of the Fontainbleau forest, she was in fact more well known and her paintings were more appreciated by the English and Americans. She was so famous at the time that Queen Victoria, who had a love for animals as well, requested Rosa visit her. It is even hard to find her paintings in French museums. Many were sold into private collections and some are now seen in American museums. But she is very much worth knowing especially if you have a fondness for animals…

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Triple Exposure: street photographer Cartier-Bresson, Atget, Ickovic

Four exhibitions this summer presenting three famous street photographers, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Eugène Atget and Paul Ickovic, have been organized in three Parisian venues: The Musée Carnavalet, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson and the BnF. First in a groundbreaking double exhibition, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Musee Carnavalet have brought together their collections to showcase the essence of Paris as seen by two great photographers, Eugène Atget and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Street photographer EUGÈNE ATGET: VOIR PARIS Perhaps Eugène Atget’s (1857-1921) early theatrical career aided him when he switched to photography; self-taught, he began immortalizing the “petits métiers ambulants” (pushcart merchants) of Paris in 1897 when he was 40 years old. Due to Haussmannian development and the construction of the Metro, the “old Paris” he loved was disappearing; he wished to document it before it was gone. Arriving at dawn with an enormous view camera …
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Furnishing your Paris apartment creatively and on a budget

Furniture

Ikea is practical, intelligent, not too expensive and usually looks good. It is not a bad way to furnish your Paris apartment. But you do have to first bring it home then spend hours putting it together (unless you call someone to do it for you – see the Services section). But perhaps you’d like something different in your Paris apartment, after all everyone shops at Ikea - it is far from unique. Here are a few ideas for some personalization that doesn’t cost too much.

FUSAC For Sale ads and other websites are a treasure trove of used items. If you find an ad for a moving sale just after it goes up you can possibly furnish a whole Parisian apartment at once! And more than just furniture you’ll find the practical items like small appliances and ironing boards for a song. If you find more than you can carry give a quick call to one of the man with a Van ads to schedule a pickup (again see the Services section).

Izidore: Is the online « garage sale …

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Bill & Rosa’s Happy-Go-Lucky Book Club

Bill & Rosa's Happy-Go-Lucky Book Club 1 kilo of surprise books mailed to your door every other month. Find out more. We’ll send you one kilo of hand-picked books from Bill & Rosa’s Book Room every second month for 6 or 12 months. Each package of books is a unique surprise and hopefully serendipitous. You won’t have any idea what it’s going to be until it arrives. All books will be in English, second-hand in good shape. Each pack of 2 or 3 books, depending on their size, will include at least one fiction book and one or 2 books from one of these genres: thrillers, non-fiction, memoir, humor, language, Paris/France, travel, art, science, history, biography - all sorts of things you just might find interesting when they fall into your hands. You'll discover titles and authors you never even knew existed and bring the thrill of a great book right to your doorstep. Not more standing in the stacks hesitating. Leave the choice up to us! If you love books and feel lik…
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Click and Collect at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room

Follow the links below to view pdf files of the current inventory of Bill and Rosa's Book Room. More than 7000 titles!

Available for Click and Collect pick up or delivery, just email fusac.office@gmail.com with your selection, we'll send you a link for payment via CB (or take check or cash when you get the books) and arrange for pick up. 

Are you in the Yvelines? Free delivery to these towns: Villepreux, Les Clayes-sous-Bois, Plaisir, Feucherolles, St Nom-la-Bretèche, Rennemoulin, Fontenay-le-Fleury, Noisy-le-Grand, Bailly. Minimum order 25€.

Anyone who orders 5+ books will receive a free copy of Elaine Sciolino's La Séduction (A book about France and the French and how seductions of all types, not just sexual, make them tick.)

The inventory list is organized by Sections and within the section by author. To find out more about a particular book you could copy the ISBN number and do an internet search. Nearly all of them …

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Get Out of Town to Bayeux

The city of Bayeux is an easy weekend trip, just 3 hours west of Paris from the Gare du Nord, in Normandy. It is a city which holds lots of treasures. The cathedral is just magnificent. One of the prettiest I have ever seen. I also love another Normandy cathedral, the one in Coutances a bit farther afield. Both of these cathedrals are full of light and life. They are brought alive by their parishes and are true places of worship and spirituality. But also interesting places to visit as a tourist. I particularly like the light airy inside and the stained glass. The exterior dome of Notre Dame de Bayeux makes for a unique silhouette. The Bayeux cathedral was consecrated in 1077 by Bishop Odo of Conteville in the presence of his brother William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy and king of England. It is a gem of Normand architecture, considered one of France's finest and was miraculously untouched during the fighting of World War II. In fact the whole old city of Bayeux surviv…

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