A Magical Room, Saloons in 1920s Paris by Ingrid Svensson

Better late than never as they say. This post was supposed to go up last year. At a museum in Sweden I found a book about 1920s saloons in Paris. Very interesting and it generated the post: Paris in July - French Saloons.  As promised then, here is the first of two posts about four of the main hostesses. 

Still picking from the "Magical Rom" and events from Paris in the 1920s. There were four main characters who put their mark on the literary scene of the time; Gertrude Stein, Natalie Clifford Barney, Adrienne Monnier, and Sylvia Beach. For most of you, they are already well known. These ladies had one thing in common, as well as many of the women holding salons, in that they were all lesbians. This was maybe one reason why they ended up in Paris, being more liberal (although you had to be discreet) than many other countries, and the US specifically. They were very creative and talented and did a lot for the cultural scene in Paris, introducing new talents and helping them to survive and make their breakthrough.

Gertrude Stein

"It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing."

She was a patron of the arts. She and her brother were collectors of art, buying from young, unknown artists from early on, such as Pablo Picasso, whom she met already in 1905. In 1907 she met Alice B. Toklas and the rest is history as they say. They enjoyed a life-long relationship and complimented each other in many ways. Saturdays, their home was open to a mixture of artists, writers, and ex-pats. The evenings usually started with dinner for a few chosen friends. Afterward, everyone who knocked on the door was welcomed. "The salon was not a place for snobs, here everyone socialised freely and simply, in a somewhat chaotic environment full of life and discussions." "The salon became a springboard for innovation."(my translation).

Natalie Clifford Barney

was American and daughter of the railway magnate Albert Clifford Barney and artist Alice Pike Barney. She came from a wealthy family and used her money to support poor artists. She published a few of her own books as well. Sapfo was an important poet for her identification.  She rented a house in Neuilly, with a garden, perfect for parties. Among her visitors were Isadora Duncan, Sarah Bernhardt, and authors Anna de Noilles, Colette, Marie de Régnier, Renée Vivien, and Lucie Delarue-Mardrus. From 1909 she rented a house in the court of rue Jacob 20, where she for many years held a lavish salon. The last one was held almost 60 years later in 1968. It was during the 1910s and 1920s that her salon had its peak. It could be up to 200 guests. Apart from the salon, she held a reception once a month for about 100-150 persons. Samuel Putnam was of the opinion that she was the only one who held a salon as they were held in the 18th century. Here you saw wit and elegance come together. Leaders in literature met with scientists and doctors. She was not interested in the formal merits, it was man who interested her: "I'm not a bibliophile but humanophile: it's the strange human specimens I seek."Her salon was lavishly decorated, full of colours and old furniture. One can imagine that the people who visited here, were transferred back to the original salons of times past.

The next post will cover Adrienne Monnier and Sylvia Beach.