"Grand-Hotel Cafe De La Paix: Two Centuries Of Parisian Life" 2004 BOISSEL, Pascal
$250
BOISSEL, Pascal
Editions Les Italiques
2004
13" x 10"
Wanted by Napoleon III, financed by the Pereire brothers, flagship of the gigantic Haussmannian construction site which would give the capital its current face, the Grand-Hôtel has been part of the legend since its birth. Since its inauguration, in 1862, by Empress Eugénie, during a memorable ball where the conductor's baton was held by a certain Jacques Offenbach, the Grand-Hôtel has seen, in its historic lounges or on the terrace of its famous Café de la Paix, crowned heads from all over the world, the greats of politics, finance, the arts and show, the most famous writers, the most prominent personalities.Published the day after the reopening of this flagship of the InterContinental hotel group after the gigantic restoration work to which it was subject under the control of Bâtiments de France, this book evokes, through text and image, nearly two centuries of Parisian and international life of which the Grand-Hôtel and the Café de la Paix were, at the same time, witnesses and showcase. Thirty years of research were necessary for Pascal Boissel, public relations manager at the Grand-Hôtel, to bring together the most important collection of archives existing on the subject. This extremely rare iconography, supplemented by treasures from mostly unpublished private collections, brings to life the great and small history of travel, the arts, weapons and letters, the table and gastronomy and luxury (jewelry, haute couture, perfumes.) by placing it in the atmosphere and the major trends of the eras crossed.