During the 19th century, Paris was the place to visit for Americans. Many were artists seeking to learn more of their art. Others were politicians, writers, architects, doctors, students, and socialites. McCullough has collected the stories of many of these, the well-known and not quite so famous. Painters George Healy, Samuel F.B. Morse, Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens honed their artistic talents in that city. At that time, Paris had the best medical schools in the world which lured many to study there, including Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. and Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in America. James Fenimore Cooper, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, Henry James and other writers traveled to see if Paris could offer them inspiration.
Many of the American visitors spent months or even years in Paris. Others made the often harrowing ocean journeys to return more than once. Many of those who made the trip had never left home before and didn't speak the language. They survived epidemics, wars, revolutions, bitterly cold winters, and other hardships but it didn't stop them from finding their experiences in Paris to be some of the best of their lives. As always, McCullough has done impeccable research and produced a very readable account of a remarkable time.
No comments:
Post a Comment