Paris Diary 1910 – Part 2

Rumplemayer’s is now Angelina’s.

Paris 1910.. January Flooding.

Elizabeth Hardy Fair’s diary continues.

August 19th,

Went to the Russian Church and of all the peculiar services I have ever attended, this was the queerest. The singing was magnificent and the robes the priests wore were wonderful.

After the service the Russian congregation all kissed the crucifix and at the same time went down into their pockets. After the service Mr. Thomas Fair introduced himself to me. He knew all about me. He lives in New York and is in Life Insurance. We walked down the Champs Elysees in the afternoon to the Tuilleries Gardens and as it began to rain, came home in a cab. Had dinner and sat around and talked. Mr and Mrs. Bailey from Puerto Rico, Mrs. Clark, Miss Clark and Mr. Fair. After lunch, rested for a short while and then went to the Louvre. Spent most of the afternoon studying Dutch Flemish.

August 2oth.

Went out at 10 30, took the metro and got off at the Louvre, walked along the bridge and visited several picture shops, made one or two purchases (Picasso, I told you! P-I-C-A-S-S-O. Just have him doodle on a napkin.) on the way to St. Germaine Church. When we got there found out it was not the church we were looking for so retraced our steps. Finally found it and were fully repaid for our trouble. It was from the tower of this church that the signal was given for the slaughter of the Huguenots on St. Bartholomew’s Day 1572. Ate lunch and went out to Pere F?, the quaintest cemetery you have ever seen. One body is placed over another.

August 23:

Went to the Lourve in the morning. Pictures very interesting. Mona Lisa was carefully inspected, but it does not appeal to me in the least. After lunch, shopped and then drove through Parc Monceau. This park is lovely, abloom with flowers, with statuary and strollers galore. Great place for lovers and babies.

August 24th:

Started out at 10. Spent morning at Galleries Lafayette. After lunch went sight seeing. First to Musee Carnabalel. Very uninteresting except for Voltaire’s chair and Napoleon’s travelling case articles. All gold toothbrush in case with knives and forks, and a small one at that. Courtyard rather pretty and then proceeded to Notre Dame Cathedral.

August 25:

After breakfast visited Napoleon’s tomb and was greatly impressed with it. The lights in the tomb were wonderful. Back of it is the chapel belonging to Hotel des Invalides. After that Eiffel Tower. Ascended to the first stop and saw a great view of Paris. Wonderful. The Seine divides Paris in half and this showed to particular advantage as the river boats steamed up and down. Saw an aeroplane high in the sky.

August 27th,

Morning clear and cool enough for a coat. Visited Cook’s office to ascertain about the Chateau districts. Continued down street in a taxi and shopped until Lunch time. Met Miss Lucille Howard at Rumpelmayer’s and had tea with her.

August 28th

Had breakfast at nine in Mrs. S’s room and then dressed for church. Went to St. Sulpice for High Mass and heard the best organ in Paris being played by Vidal, one of the finest in the city. Went to the Luxenbourg and again looked at the pictures. After lunch, took a taxi and drove out to the Bois de Boulogne and the chateau for tea. Saw one of the largest crowds since I’ve been in Paris. This is one of the swellest tea houses here, The Bois is lovely. Nothing could be more picturesque than this beautiful drive. Pres Catalan is located in a woodland with the most entrancing walks and a lake where one can row if desired.

Truchet, Abel. Scene as Elizabeth described.

Came back to the hotel and am going to write some letters.

August 29th

The day began quite clear and cool but by night it started to rain but the moon is shining brightly now. Day uneventful. Went to the Bon Marche and Galleries Lafayette. Am sitting in Mrs. S’s room now. Bought some handkerchiefs and gloves. Am going to be early for I am to be picked up early to go to the Louvre.

August 30

Miss Howard called at three past ten and we went downtown to the bank and then proceeded to the Louvre. Stayed there all morning and saw the statue of Venus de Milo, the Tour (?)nay Liery collection and various other gems. In the afternoon had tea at the Hardoma(?) and later visited the shops. Leave tomorrow for Antwerp and also go to Brussels.

Met Gaylord Clark coming from the Venus de Milo room, first time we have met since abroad. He was leaving for England that afternoon.

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1910 Travel Diary. Saw the Suffragettes!

Elizabeth Fair. 1903 ish.

I’ve been blogging about my one day trip to New York City, and I mentioned that Margaret Nicholson visited NY in 1902 and mentioned it in a letter. A friend (or more likely relation)moved to Union City New Jersey in and around 1900.

Margaret mentions ‘all the all buildings’ but that is it. I wonder where they took her in 1900. Probably to one of the department stores. And likely also to Central Park.

I just happen to have a 1910 travel diary in my possession. It belonged to the young woman above, Elizabeth Hardy Fair, who just happens to be General Douglas MacArthur’s first cousin, and a great aunt of my husband’s on his father’s side.

She did a tour of London, Wales and Paris in 1910.

(In 1903, she attended Douglas MacArthur’s West Point Graduation, for I saw the dance card.)

Her diary says she is 5 foot 10 and a half, so just imagine how TALL she was in one of the big hats of the era!! Her foot size is 5, so I wonder how she kept from falling over.

Elizabeth went to Europe in July 1910, two months after the King’s death and a year before the big heat wave, labour rallies and the Coronation.

Her diary is banal, which is too bad. She was a pretty social butterfly from Virginia, not a witty observant girl. Unfortunately, that’s who often had the money to travel.

And she visited the usual destinations, many of them popular today.

July 18: Had breakfast and at eight thirty saw Mrs. Moore off and then went shopping with Mrs. Morgan. Came home, ate lunch and rode in a bus to the Army and Navy store. Spent all afternoon there. My purchases consisted of 2 collars and one umbrella. Rained all morning. London awfully dingy and buildings all dark and dreary looking.
July 20:

Made an early start for Windsor. Reached there at 11 am and saw the Castle thoroughly. A perfect castle, just my idea of what one is. The dining table is 150 feet long and the table set used for state occasions has ten tons of gold plate in it.
The State Apartments are magnificent. Had lunch in a nearby restaurant (which one?) and then took a carriage down to Eton and attended a sevice in a quaint chapel (Which one?).

July 21: After breakfast, we visited the shops, returned to the hotel (The Metropole, which apparently can be seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) for lunch and later Mr. and Mrs. Morgan and I went to the Wallace Collection. A perfectly wonderful collection of things for one man ot have gathered together in a life time. Wallace was a benevolent man, an Englishman, and while in Paris in 97 he gave away over forty thousand pounds to the poor. After leaving the Collection, I took a bus down to the Strand, as far as the bus went.. Had dinner and after an hour or two in the lounge, retired…

July 22. Day clear and a vist to the Tower of London was the first thing on the programme and then Mr. William Campbell and his sister and I took a bus to Waite Chapel. There we hailed a taxi and drove to the Cheshire Cheese Inn for lunch. (Finally, you named a place!) Then we visited the Courts and saw the barristers all in wigs and gowns.

Then we visited Goldsmith’s grave, the old church built in the 10th century where the Knight’s Templar were organized (Temple Church) and dressed and went for tea with the Rafferty’s at 69 Grosvenor Street – the Empire Club. After the tea we took a spin in their motor.

July 23,

Day lovely for England but quite cool. Went all through the House of Parliament. Very grand. The House of Lords is particularly handsome. All red.House of Commons was green. Had lunch. Saw the suffragettes having a parade. Later went to the theatre with Mr. Traverse to see “Miss Gibbs”. Well-staged but much too long. (Editor: Understatement. This was a huge demonstration of thousands of suffragettes to Hyde Park. Edith Nicholson would have passed out for joy, or joined them. But Miss Elizabeth of Norfolk was not a ‘new woman’…”Our Miss Gibbs was a popular musical with 23 numbers.)

July 26. Mrs. Campbell and I spent most of the morning shopping and visited the SS offices. Met Mr. William Campbell and had lunch with him at Fuller’s. Then got on a bus and took a ride down the Strand and over London Bridge. Went home by taxi and after straightening ourselves out a bit, re-joined him and went by the tube to Hyde Park. Took tea at a nearby tea house. Hyde Park is nice, but as it is out of season, there is not a great deal to do there.