Day Five: Revolution and Nouveau

The fifth day in Paris was an educational on for me. The group went to the Carnavalet Museum; the museum that focuses on the history of the city of Paris. This was another amazing museum that served as a surprisingly educational experience for me. We began our tour of the museum in the section dedicated to the French Revolution. This floor of the museum acted as home to the relics of the first and following French revolutions. The fact that there were paintings depicting all of the different stages of the beginnings of the French Revolution; including paintings from the early stages when it seemed the monarchy was still on board. This, to me, is a great symbol of the attitude that the French, the Parisians especially, hold about their home’s sorted and bloody history. To me it seemed that the museum strove to depict the whole story of the revolution, from the early deception to the amazing actions of the revolutionaries. The paintings in the Carnavalet told the incredible story of the shaping of the governing class of France. One thing that I found interesting was the collection of person items belonging to important figures the museum had on hand. They had on display items ranging from Maximilien Robespierre’s shaving bowl to locks of hair from the royal family; all carefully displayed. This was so interesting to me because it was such a complete collection they were able to preserve. With all of these items on hand they will always be able to hold onto their history and the people involved. I had a general knowledge of the events leading up to and involving the French revolution, but being surrounded by so many examples of what was actually involved in the uprising and later activities brought a definitive life to the history. While in the revolutionary section of the museum we read selections from The Rights of Man, an important French revolutionary document with a title familiar to American ears. Being in the museum and being able to see the history unfold also made it far clearer to me, as an American, the relationship that America shares with France in regards to the revolutions of our respective countries.
The revolutionary items were only one section of the Carnavalet museum; the others continued on with the remaining history of the city. The amazing array of items they had on hand only continued to amaze me; from Napoleon’s death mask to Voltaire’s writing chair. I am always so impressed by the things that survive from generation to generation. Most of the most intriguing displays in museums are the everyday items that were once a part of someone’s life. These items are the best clues we have today of the lives that people lead in times other than our own. On ground floor there was something that I found to be simply divine and wonderful for me. There was a beautiful example of Art Nouveau architecture in a Parisian jewelry shop, in its entirety, in the museum. Art Nouveau is my favorite artistic movement and the furniture is a personal love of mine. The façade of the building was decorated with Alphonse Mucha’s ladies (my all time favorite artist!!) and the signature nouveau script while the inside had all of the display cases and fixtures surrounded by stained glass; I was a kid in an elegant candy store