My Dear Kline

Emma shares another exciting day.

Emma Richardson Cherry My Sister Ruth ca.1880’s.

And now for another exciting letter home, written from Paris in July 1888, by Emma Richardson Cherry (1859-1954), to her beloved younger sister Ruth (1875-1911), then living in Kansas City. This is the second piece coming from my transcriptions of Emma’s letters describing her art studies and life in France in 1888-89 - letters recently added to the collection of University of Houston Libraries [Cherry Family Papers, Collection 2024-044].

Emma wrote the letter referenced in the first piece from Giverny, where she was one of the early artists to paint in what would become a famous artists’ colony. In this piece, she describes a thrilling day, and evening, of celebration in Paris, Bastille Day, July 14, 1888. The words are Emma’s; the images are by others - but the thrill of the festive day explodes from both.

14 Rue de la Grande-Chaumière

July 22 – 88

My Dear Kline [Cherry’s nickname for her younger sister, Ruth]

… I want to tell you about the fourteenth of July, which corresponds with our fourth in America. This present republic is only fourteen years old, but the first republic began in 1792. That is when Napoleon 1^st reigned and after he did, the first republic began. You must remember this as it is such an important item in French history.

Monet Rue Montorgueil, Paris 1878.

The city was waving from end to end with flags and there were flags of other nations too and so many American ones. I think our flag is about as pretty as any of them too. When other nations, not France, hang out flags they always hang a French one with it as it is discourteous [not to], being in their country. All business is completely suspended and every body takes the day for enjoyment.

Vincent Van Gogh Fourteenth of July Celebration in Paris 1886.

The government opens several theaters and also the grand opera, free to the republic and Miss Frye and I considered it a good opportunity to see the opera house, the decorations and to hear some music, so we went down & stood in line. They allowed about fifty in at a time.

Opera Garnier 1871.

Jules Lenepveu (1819-1898) Les Muses et les Heures du jour et de la nuit 1871. Covered in 1964 by the current ceiling mural by Marc Chagall.

We had a very good place in a box on the third floor, and where we could see the ceiling, which was what I wanted most of all to go for, as its one of the best decorations by modern men.

Inauguration of the Paris Opera in 1875 (Édouard Detaille, 1878).

The house itself is very elaborate, all decorated in high relief all gold everywhere. It is very elaborate, but not the new taste. It shows money but that is about all. I don’t think its as large as the metropolitan [sic] in New York, and the opera was no better than some I have heard there.

Palais du Trocadéro at night - demolished in 1937.

Then in the evening we went to the palace of the Trocadéro, to see the fireworks. The palace was a perfect blaze of gas and did look so pretty and the fountains were playing every where and so much light about made them glisten on all sides. Lanterns just covered the trees and people were every where.

There are such crowds that no buses or streetcars run after six o’clock and you have to walk every where, or take a cab.

At half past nine the fireworks began. They were sent up from the opposite direction of the palace, from the tower Eiffel. This is the tower being build for the exposition next year. It is to be 1070 ft. high and will be the highest tower in [the world?] when finished. It is over half way now and looked so pretty with the “artificial fire,” as they call fireworks here.

The tower is a complicated net work [sic] of iron all open & the fire made it look so airy & skeleton like.

Coming home we came through a fête & Mate & Mr. W. [Dawson Dawson-Watson] rode on a whirly go round. You know those things that revolve with horses & seals! Miss Frye & I stood by as we were too tired & I had rather have my ten cents in something else. I’ll never go to any more celebrations, for we were so tired, but one ought to see it once, for the people appreciate their freedom and the novelty has not yet worn off. …

Your loving sister, Pussie (Ruth’s nickname for Emma)

And so the thrilling Bastille Day, 1888, ends. One final image: 14 Rue de la Grande-Chaumière, the address at the top of Emma’s letter - though probably her school rather than where she lived in Paris. But certainly one of the stops on our EMMA RICHARDSON CHERRY TOURS of Paris. Come along and join us, Emma and me, for further explorations in Emma’s City of Light!