My Bohemian days in Paris

Front matter

J.M.P

DANIEL B. LLOYD

OFFICIAL REPORTER OF

Chapter I

I arrive in Paris — The house in the Rue de Reuilly — The Thomases and the Messiers — A bit of old Paris — I go to see Yvon and G^rome — A funny incident — I am accepted at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and received as a pupil in G^rome's studio .

CHAPTER n

Looking for lodgings — ^The Rue Visconti — The concierges — ^The " hotel " in the Rue de Seine — "Visions of romance — I am inscribed at the Beaux Arts — ^The Cours Yvon — William Stott of Oldham — Introduction to the Quartier Latin ... ii

CHAPTER in

I leave the Rue de Reuilly — My new quarters — I make a start at the Ecole — The three ateliers de peinture — G^rome's, Cabanel's and Lehmann's — The routine in the Antique — A probationer — My fair neighbour in the Rue de Seine — A disillusion — Working hours of Paris as compared with London — The gouter — Types of students — French, English, and American — A stroll after work — Week-ends en famille — The house in the Pare des Princes at Auteull — Practical joking — An incident at the Theatre des Itallens — The fSte at Versailles — An

interesting experience ig

XV

CHAPTER IV

PAGE

I am passed for the atelier — My entr^a — The Massier — Paying my footing — An impromptu picnic — " Ragging " the nouveau — A duel with paint-brushes — The corvee — A little unpleasantness — A studio procession in the Quartier — Models — The visits of the " Patron " — An amusing incident — Sympathy between the artist and his pupils — Gdrome's kindly nature ..... 40

CHAPTER V

Dejeuner in the Quartier — Thirions — Curious incident in the Rue du Four — Arlequins k 2 sous — A joke on the waiter — Copying at the Louvre — Julians — The atelier in the Rue d'Uz^s .... 54

CHAPTER VI

The Quartier at night — ^The Boulevard St Michel — Petites ouvriferes — A good joke and its denouement — Practical joking in the streets — The woman on the roof — Searching for a louis — The caf^s in the Quartier — Bullier — A conjuring trick — Joke on the cocher — Fun at the waxwork show . 60

CHAPTER VII

My first love affair — Rose — Excursion to Meudon — Robinson — Fontenay aux Ros'?s — A friture at Suresnes — La Grenouill^re — Amusing incident in a restaurant — Practical joke in a studio — I leave for London — Farewell dinner with Rose — A last letter — End of my first love affair ... 73

xvi

CHAPTER VIII

PAGE return to Paris — Looking for new quarters — The Rue de la Rochefoucauld — Buying furniture — The Baronne d'Ange — First night in my new room — Curious incident-— The restaurant in the Rue Vivienne — Eugenie — A rendezvous — A disappointment — My first sale of a picture — The petit rentier — I am commissioned to paint a portrait — A worrying sitter ....... 85

CHAPTER IX

I am introduced at the Caf6 de la Rochefoucauld — The habitues of the caf^— Distinguished men one met there — A Whistler anecdote — Petites dames — Models— La Sagatore — La Belle Laure and her tragic ending — English girls at the cafe and a joke on one of them — A favourite with the ladies — A witty remark — Stray clients at the cafd — The end of the Caf^ de la Rochefoucauld — Bohemianism and some curious predicaments — Humorous situation 94

CHAPTER X

Caf^s in Montmartre — The Nouvelles Ath^nes — The Rat Mort — The Place Blanche — Amusing experience — An incident on the Place Pigalle — The Abbaye de Th^l^me — The Elys^e Montmartre — The Moulin de la Galette — The fast women in the Rue Br6da and the Quartier de Notre Dame de Lorette — Brasseries and caf^s — The frail sisterhood — The underworld of Montmartre — The artists' colony — Studios — Artists' models on the Place Pigalle — The studio district — The inception of the Cabaret du Chat Noir — Rodolphe Sails " Gentilhomme Cabaretier " — Removal of the xvii

PAQS

Cabaret to the Rue de Laval — Remarkable procession — A midnight escapade — Artistic surroundings of the " Chat Noir " — The theatre — Famous productions — Array of talent — Great success of the cabaret — Imitation " Chat Noirs " — ^The Lion d'Or — New school of decoration . . . • iio

CHAPTER XI

Commission to paint portrait of Monsieur Thomas for the Salon^^ — I make a start — A studio in the Rue de Reuilly — Amusing episode — The portrait finished — " Sending-in " day — " Accepted " — A little dinner to celebrate event — A funny incident — The lady and the lion— The Vernissage at the Salon — Coveted invitations — The eventful day — The scene outside the Palais de 1' Industrie — The search for one's picture — ^The crowd — Smart people — Dejeuner at Ledoyens — The scene in the Sculpture Hall after lunch — A drive in the Bois and a bock at the Cascade ........ X3J

CHAPTER XII

I move to the Rue Fontaine St Georges — I am commissioned to paint the portrait of Madame Thomas — Buying more furniture — A house-warming — Amusing jeu d 'esprit — I take a situdio with a friend — The Passage Lathuille — A bad neighbourhood — Low rental — Studio furniture — Lady visitors — Impromptu lunches — The amateur model — An amusing experience — Attractive personality of the average female model — " Wrong uns " — Earnings of models — Faux manages— Long " collages " — Cat-and-dog existence — Middle-aged ex-models — The morals of the ancienne cocotte — How a collage usually commences — An artistic anecdote — Coolness of Frenchmen nowadays — An incident in a caf^ — Mon amie in the Rue Frochot — Laughable

incident — A lapse of memory 139

xviii

CHAPTER XIII

PAGE

The Bal des Quatz Arts — Difficulty of obtaining ticket — My costume — Rendezvous at cai6 — Indelicate costumes of ladies — Starting for the Elys^e Montmartre — Sergents de ville guarding entrance — Stringent precautions — Impressions of ballroom scene — Grorgeous costumes of men — Distinguished painters — Nude girls — Blatant indecency of diaphanous evening dresses — Extraordinary spectacle — Wild danciing and deafening music — I meet a little model — Her costume — Processions of different ateliers — Wonderful effects — Supper served — The danse du ventre on one of the tables — No drunkenness a feature of the ball — Procession of students to Quartier Latin in morning — Arrest of a nude girl in street — True hospitality . . 156

CHAPTER XIV

Visit to the district of Fontainebleau — Marlotte — The village — The open-air painters — The village inn — The panels in the salle k manger — Painting everywhere — The forest — The main street — Food at the hotel — The petit vin — The table d'hdte — The people one met — Cheery crowd — Billiards — " Le jeu au bouchon " — O de Penne celebrated painter of sporting pictures — His maitresse — Their marriage — His house and bedroom — Ciceri, the landscape painter — His knowledge of women — " Her old man's day " — The daily routine in Marlotte — A new arrival — A radiant vision — The chic Parisienne — A new acquaintance — L'Inconnue — The commencement of a love story — Delightful days — A shock — ^The end of the romance .... 170

xix

CHAPTER XV

PAGE

Another incident at Marlotte — The American artist — A caricature after dinner — A mysterious departure — An unpleasant surprise for Marlotte — My caricature at the Prefecture de Police — Lost in the Palace of Fontainebleau — Exciting- adventure — Unpopularity — An amusing joke 190

CHAPTER XVI

A visit to Moret — Funny adventure on way to station — A good-natured Frenchman — Willing hands — Arrival at station — Amusement of bystanders — Lost belongings — Incident in carriage — Disagreeable passenger — No smoking — A whistling story — Another smoking story — The bully and the bantam — A curious military incident at the Gare St Lazare — Moret and its surroundings — Lolling as a fine art 203

CHAPTER XVII

Changing characteristics of Montmartre — Advent of music — The Divan Japonais — The opening night — A merry evening — The orchestra — The audience oblige on the piano — An impromptu dance — Going round Montmartre — A " chinois sur lo zinc " — The gar^on de marchand de vins — An unexpected musical talent— The gargon becomes a great pianist — Christmas in Montmartre — A party in studio in the Rue Bochard de Saron— Artistic arrangements — I give an impromptu ventriloquial entertainment — Extraordinary effect — " All's well that ends well " — Another incident — A duel by arrangement — Drawing lots — An unexpected climax ......... 216

XX

CHAPTER XVIII

PAGB

Some strange examples of Bahemianism — The hidden treasure — An unexpected meeting after several years — A pathetic story — The dead child — Another incident — A bad-tempered, jealous woman and a meek artist — The worm turns at last — A dramatic ending to collage — Perverted Bohemianism — The young student and the married woman — Ruin and disgrace — The usurers of the Quartier Latin — Their hunting-ground and their agents — The spider and the fly — Speculative risks of money-lenders — Cherchez la femme — Contrast between Paris and London — Student life 230

Conclusion

Bohemian life in Paris — The charm of the caf^ — Gradual change in one's tastes — The chez soi — Progress in one's work — New friends — Forced to return to England — A final visit to G6rome . 260

XXI

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGB Portrait of the Author in 1886. From a

f>ainting by Solomon J. Solomon, R.A. . Frontispiece It was usually a question as to which was the least

dilapidated and dirty 12

The concierges varied as much as the rooms ... 14

A little place in the Rue de Buci 17

Across the road to the marchand de vin for gotiter . 24

The types of students varied curiously .... 26 In a very few minutes they were both covered with

colour and in a hideous mess 44

Used to come round of a morning with a case of brushes

and colours 50

J. L. G^rome 52

The Louvre, where there was an atmosphere of hard work 58

It was often quite amusing 68

Rose 74

And I was more in love with her thani ever ... 76

His appearance of intense respectability .... 90 One of the girls was very pretty, fair hair, nice teeth,

good figure, blue eyes 102

They were dancers at the Folies Berg^res . . . 106

At the cslU 112

The whole district was full of women and their souteneurs 116

The women sat at the tables in gloomy silence . . 120

At the "Chat Noir " 124

xxiii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

My first exhibited picture. (Portrait of Monsieur I

Thomas. Paris Salon, 1881) ....

Models

Stood irresolute before me where I sat at my easel

A very sympathetic and attractive personality

As here and there a pair of bare legs or a snowy neck

and shoulders passed through .... Those diaphanous evening dresses .... Either painting or strolling about in the weirdest of

garbs

Full of his own conceit . . . .

As though in a dream ......

In the evenings we generally managed to put in a cheery

time going round to the different caf^s She was of so jealous a nature .... These arrives who in their time were amongst the most

devil-may-care spirits of the Quartier

136 142 146

160 164

218 240

XXIV

CHAPTER I

I arrive in Paris — The house in the Rue de Reuilly — ^The Thomases and the Messiers — A bit of old Paris — I go to see Yvon and G^rome — A funny incident — I am accepted at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and received as a pupil in G^rorne's studio.

It is a grand thing to be young and on the right side of twenty, but unfortunately one does not realise it till long afterwards, when it is too late ; not that it would make much difference I suppose if one did, for one cannot put old heads on young shoulders — still it is curious how lightly one unconsciously takes life when one is on the threshold of it. When the years stretch away in front of one through a long vista of hope and ambition bathed in the radiant sunshine of youth — why should one worry about disappointments and rough times that may perchance be awaiting one. Vive la vie is the device on the banner of youth — and always

I A will be. I was perhaps no more philosophical in those early days of my career than the average youth, but I was endowed with a strong perception of the romantic side of things, and I can well recollect how delightful were my impressions when I found myself in the train en route for Paris with the prospect of several years of student life before me. Buoyed up with the enthusiasm of my years, the journey appeared to me like the realisation of a dream, and I felt like some bold adventurer of old setting forth to make my fortune.

I was, however, leaving London under sad conditions — both my parents having died a short time previously ; but some old friends of my father were ready to welcome me, so I found a delightful home waiting me in their midst. I shall never forget those early days, and have often since wondered whether an English family would have received a raw youth, a foreigner — and quite a stranger to them — with such open-hearted and affectionate hospitality and sympathy as was shown me by these kindly French people ; had I been of their own kith and kin I could not have found more goodwill. Fortunately for me, I already spoke French rather well, and I had a thorough knowledge of it, as I had spent a couple of years in a school in Brussels — and this therefore helped a good deal to remove the diffidence I should have doubtless felt amongst strangers had I not been able to converse with them, with ease. This, coro.bined with a good constitution, a fine appetite, and a very limited exchequer, constituted the sum-total of my available assets. I must not, however, forget to add that I had brought with me a parcel of drawings and sketches and a letter of introduction to Adolphe Yvon, the celebrated painter of military subjects and Professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts.

My time for the first few days after my arrival in Paris was spent in a luxury which was no doubt ill-fitted to prepare me for the rough times when I should be looking after myself on my very slender allowance ; still it was indeed very pleasant. My friends were wealthy people. Monsieur Messier, a retired manufacturer of couleurs pour papiers peints, lived with his wife in a beautiful villa at Auteuil in the Pare des Princes, where they entertained with princely hospitality; his son-in-law, Monsieur Isidore Thomas, his successor in the business, managed the factory, which was situated in the Rue de Reuilly, a thoroughfare off the revolutionary Faubourg St Antoine. He and his wife and their little son Alexandre lived at the " Fabrique."

This factory was quite unique in itlself, and probably the last of its kind in Paris. It was a relic of the past, when the maitre lived amongst his ouvriers and took a paternal interest in their affairs. Once through the lofty porte-cochere leading from the street one found oneself transplanted as it were into the provinces, so sudden and unexpected was the change. The factory, which was surrounded by high walls, formed a big quadrangle, in the centre of which stood the house of the maitre in the midst of a veritable oasis of fine old trees; around it was a large garden of several acres in extent, in which fruit and vegetables were grown in abundance. It was difficult at first to realise that one was actually in Paris whilst seated at dejeuner or dinner on the lawn.

Monsieur Thomas was a handsome and genial giant of about forty-five years of age, and both he and his wife were the very personification of good-nature and human kindness. Both were gifted with a rare sense of humour which still further helped to make the house in Rue de Reuilly a delightful abode.

But I was in Paris to work hard — not to play, and although I could have prolonged my stay with them indefinitely, I was anxious to make a start. The first thing to be done was to present my letter of introduction to Yvon, as on his verdict depended my admission to the Ecole des Beaux Arts — ^where I hoped to continue my studies ; so off I went one day, accompanied by Monsieur Thomas.

Yvon lived in the Rue de la Tour at Passy — in a big barn of a house particularly bourgeois in appearance. We were received in the atelier by the celebrated painter, a stout, bearded man — of slovenly appearance — his hair and general appearance so unkempt as to give one the impression he had not washed since he got up — yet it was close on midday; this untidiness was, I recollect, still further accentuated by his costume, which merely consisted of a red flannel shirt and a pair of very loose trousers, which looked like dropping down at any moment, as he wore no braces or belt. Altogether he did not impress me, young as I was. He received us in a somewhat pompous manner, which did not go well with his appearance ; still, after reading the letter and looking at the work I had brought with me, he told Monsieur Thomas that I might join his afternoon cours de dessin at the Ecole — and then sat down and wrote a letter for me to present to the famous artist Gerome who had one of the three ateHers de peinture at the Ecole.

" If he will take him as his eleve he will have nothing further to worry about," he said to Monsieur Thomas. " Let him show him this drawing when you go," picking out one of the roll I had brought with me.

As we took our leave after thanking him for his kindness he seemed to suddenly throw off his reserve of manner, and shaking me cordially by the hand he told me that he expected me to call on him on Sundays whenever I had any special work to show him to ask his advice about. " I expect all my eleves to do this," he added.

It would have been impossible to have started under better auspices, and Monsieur Thomas — the dear old fellow — was if anything even more delighted than I was, and as we returned to Paris he already congratulated me on my future successes. The next step then was to go to see Gerome, who lived in the Boulevard de Clichy. At that time he was at the zenith of his fame, and his name was a household word not only in France but all over the world. Monsieur Thomas was very much impressed at the idea of our calling on such a celebrity — much more in fact that when we went to see Yvon. I remember he got himself up specially for the occasion as though we were going to a wedding — a new tall hat, light grey trousers, lavender kid gloves, a resplendent tie. We arrived at the house, and on his announcing with a certain amount of pride to the concierge that we had a letter of introduction to the maitre we were simply told to go upstairs by ourselves and that we would find him in the studio. There was an entire lack of formality — so up we went.

The house was exquisitely furnished — the staircase was richly carpeted, and the walls were covered with Eastern tapestries and trophies, whilst oriental lamps hung from the ceiling. It was indeed the house of a great painter, and to me, a youngster unused to such artistical splendour, it was like a dream of the Arabian nights. We made our way upstairs in awed silence. There was not a soul about, so we paused at the different landings to furtively glance in at the gorgeous apartments. By the time we reached the top floor Monsieur Thomas, who was a portly man, was puffing audibly ; he wasn't accustomed to stair climbing, although it was only the third floor, and as it was a hot day the perspiration was pouring down his face. There was only one door on the top landing so he knocked timidly in case this wasn't the atelier — no reply — he knocked again louder — a voice seemingly from far away called out " Entrez done." We entered and found ourselves on the threshold of an immense studio ; right away in the distance was a grey-haired gentleman of military appearance seated before an easel, palette and brushes in hand, whilst a model in an Eastern costume was posing on a platform in front of him. In between us and where he sat was an immense expanse of polished floor which looked as slippery as ice. We both stood on the edge of it in the doorway, irresolute as to what we ought to do.

" Mais entrez done, mes amis," called out the artist benevolently, seeing our hesitation.

Monsieur Thomas to my surprise then attempted some impossible feat of balancing his hat, gloves, and umbrella in the corner of the door, whilst fumbUng in his pocket for the letter of introduction. Then the inevitable happened, as he was not a born juggler — the hat and umbrella skidded on the polished floor, then fell down, and rolled out into the studio, and in endeavouring to regain them he nearly came to grief himself on the treacherous surface. I had the greatest difficulty in preventing myself from bursting out laughing, so funny did he look. This interlude would have probably continued some time had not Gerome, who had meanwhile taken off his pince-nez and was looking on with an amused air, called out laughingly, " Don't worry about your belongings, they won't hurt on the floor."

Monsieur Thomas pulled himself together, wiped the beads of perspiration from his forehead, and we made our way gingerly across the atelier.

" Une lettre de mon ami Yvon a propos de ce jeune homme, voyons 9a," said the maitre genially as he opened the letter of introduction. " Well," he continued, turning to Monsieur Thomas after he had read it, " what has he brought to show me in the shape of his work } "

With much trepidation I undid the drawing from the antique which Yvon had suggested my bringing. It was one which the Royal Academy in London had not considered good enough to admit me as a student in the school of that august institution. I felt that my whole future practically depended on the opinion he passed on it. He put on his glasses and examined it critically — the next few seconds seemed interminable — then he exclaimed, " Mais 9a n'est pas mal du tout," and turning to my friend, whom he evidently thought was my guardian, he added, " Je le prendrai chez moi " ; then he went over to his bureau and wrote out some instructions as to what I had to do — where to present myself, and so forth. The whole interview had not lasted ten minutes.

Emboldened by his friendliness, I then ventured to produce a water-colour drawing I had made up the river, and which I was particularly satisfied with. It was an evening effect — with a harvest moon reflected in the water. Very original and poetical I thought. I remember I called it " The moon is up and yet it is not night." But it wasn't to be all compliments, for he let me down with a run when he said briefly after a glance at it, " C'est un peu plat d'epinards " (It looks rather like a dish of spinach) ; adding, " You must put aside your paint-box for the present and continue to work from the antique — le dessin c'est I'essentiel avant tout — don't think of decorating the house until the walls are up." Then rising from his seat to signify that that was an end of it, he shook me warmly by the hand saying, " Alors vous voila lance, mon ami — ayez du courage, travaillez ferme et 9a ira." The unaffected simplicity and charm of his manner went to my very heart.

As we came down the stairs I was in so wild a state of excitement that I felt as though walking on air — for was not my career in my own hands henceforth? Accepted by Gerome and Yvon,

JMY BOHEMIAN DAYS IN PARIS

naught now remained but to get to work and stick at it for all I was worth.

It may be of interest to mention that there was not a penny piece to pay for all these advantages. From this moment I was practically on the same footing as the French students, and could remain at the Ecole as long as I pleased.

Now came the important question of finding lodgings.

Chapter II

Looking for lodging's — The Rue Visconti — The concierges — The " hotel " in the Rue de Seine — Visions of romance — I am inscribed at the Beaux Arts — ^The Cours Yvon — William Stott of Oldham — Introduction to the Quartier Latin.

The artistic life of Paris in those days was divided into two camps as it were. The younger men generally were to be found in the Latin Quarter in the neighbourhood of the Ecole des Beaux Arts — whilst the men of maturer years who had finished with the schools had mostly chosen the heights of Montmartre for their studios. The two groups were therefore widely separated. Nowadays it is very different, the two areas having spread considerably, and the districts round Montparnasse and the Pare Monceau are full of artists. From the student point of view the vicinity of the Rue Bonaparte was the best place in Paris to live in, as it was near the Ecole and the Louvre — so I was advised to look for a room somewhere round about there. Of course my friend and mentor, Monsieur Thomas, accompanied me in my search ; whether he thought I was too young to be allowed to hunt round for myself, or that he and his wife

II feared I might fall into bad company, did not transpire, but at any rate he gave up several days of his valuable time to help me fix myself up. I could not have had a more delightful companion — although old enough to be my father, he had the temperament of a boy, and thoroughly enjoyed everything, even, I verily believe, to climbing up the steep stairs in the old houses — for cheap rooms, such as I was looking for, were invariably close to the roof.

Of variety and choice there was no end — even at the very moderate rent I was only able to give ; the difficulty was to make up my mind. It was usually a question as to which was the least dilapidated and dirty — the sanitation being always such that the less said about it the better. I suppose there could have been no city in Europe in those days where less attention was paid to this subject. Apart though from such trifles as these, there were often other peculiarities about these old rooms for which I was not prepared to pay. I remember one place in the Rue Visconti — a narrow thoroughfare off the Rue Bonaparte — a fine old house, as it had evidently been the mansion of an aristocrat in bygone times. The room to let was not very high up — only on the second floor ; it was very large and looked over an expanse of garden — a somewhat unusual thing to find m the Quartier Latin. It appeared to be altogether just what I wanted — plenty of light and air; still it was very, very old

IT WAS USUALLY A QUESTION AS TO WHICH WAS THE LEAST DILAPIDATED AND DIRTY."

indeed, and also, to put it mildly, somewhat smelly, and there was a peculiar odour about it which I did not then know, but which became quite familiar after a little while in Paris. I at first thought it was because the window had been closed for some days, till I happened to notice something on the wall by the bed, which was in an alcove. I drew my friend's attention to it. He laughingly remarked to the concierge that the room although to let was " deja habitee."