France

‘Thorough Studies on the New instruments from Mr Sax’, by Frédéric Bouchot, 1840. Musée Carnavalet/Musées de Paris. Public Domain.

Adolphe Sax’s Brass Wars

A battle of wills between Adolphe Sax and musical instrument makers in 19th-century France saw an unprecedented legal contest unfold.

St Augustine receiving Divine Truth, by Philippe de Champaigne, c.1645. LACMA. Public Domain.

Forgeries, Fakes, and Phantom Time

According to some, written history began in the 14th century. It may seem ridiculous, but the Phantom Time conspiracy theory has serious implications.

‘Hail! Thou Production most uncommon. Woman half man and man half Woman!’, frontispiece to An Epistle from Mademoiselle D’Eon to the Right Honorable L[or]d M[ansfiel]d, 1778.

The Libellous Letters of the Chevalier d’Eon

Chevaliere d’Eon or Chevalier d’Eon? An 18th-century legal dispute between two French spies unravelled into a public battle about identity.

Illustration from the cover of La Presse Illustrée, 21 October 1883. Bibliothèque nationale de France. Public Domain.

Absinthe: From Green Fairy to Moral Panic

The remarkable fall of absinthe: from 19th-century ‘Green Fairy’ to scourge of society.

Arthur Cravan, undated photograph. PVDE/Bridgeman Images.

Arthur Cravan: The Disappearing Dadaist

Unconventional and provocative, did the Dada artist sometimes known as Arthur Cravan save his boldest work for last?

Channel Tunnel illustration © Ben Jones/Heart Agency.

Fear, Friendship and the Channel Tunnel

November 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the first passenger trains between London and Paris. What does the history of the Channel Tunnel tell us about Britain’s relationship with its neighbours?

Carthusian monks at the dining table, from an account of rules of the Carthusian Order, the Netherlands, 15th century. British Library/Bridgeman Images.

The Violent Life of the Medieval Monks

Meant to live a life of perfect peacefulness and contemplation, in reality monks were human and fallible. How violent could life in the medieval cloister be?

Louis XIV, illustration, French, c.1869. New York Public Library. Public Domain.

The Roman Catholic War on Wigs

The Catholic Church’s ban on wigs in the 18th century was as revealing of attitudes towards disability as vanity and sanctity.

Crowds gathered at the Arc de Triomphe celebrating the liberation of Paris, 26 August 1944. Heritage Images/Topfoto.

The French Resistance: Fantasy and Failure

The French Resistance sought liberation above all else. But what should the postwar nation look like? The question was as old as the Fall of France itself.