Managed to get to London today had to reroute due to the bad weather overnight but we made it

Programs used for managing and editing mods for Skyrim:

Mod Organizer, TES5Edit, Wrye Bash, DDS Viewer, NifSkope & GeDoSaTo for downsampling

 

Main visual mods used in my screenshots:

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GRASS: SFO v2.3b, Tamriel Reloaded Grasses, Unique Grasses, Unbelievable Grass Two, Verdant - A Skyrim Grass Plugin

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TREES: Skyrim Flora Overhaul v2.3b, SFO v2.1, Ultimate Lush Overhaul, Realistic Aspen Trees, 4K Parallax Treebark, TreesHD_Skyrim_Variation, Upgrade and fix for TreesHD by Pfuscher, 4K Tree and Parallax for Pines by Pfuscher, CM Bark

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TEXTURES & MESHES: Static Mesh Improvement Mod - SMIM, Skyrim Realistic Overhaul, NobleSkyrimMod HD-2K, Tamriel Reloaded HD, Skyrim HD - 2K Textures, Skyrim HD - Terrain Parallax Tribute, 4K Parallax Skyrim by Pfuscher, Vivid Landscapes - All in One, Realistic Water Two, Project Parallax Remastered, Immersive Roads, Real Roads

First of all don't look at my hand it has got as many layers of msc on it as the doll's face has.

 

Now I still need to glue her mouth.

The finished doll will be photographed tomorrow. Just to be sure I'll leave her head off the body so the mouth is able to dry all night without any friction.

 

She's not my Punzie, she turned out different than I imagined.

Although I do like her I won't be heart broken if her face up would ever get damaged and maybe it is better that way

Managed to grab half an hour at Charnwood Water with the magic formula of sunshine and wildlife (woohoo!)

The coot family were alarmingly unperturbed by people, which is a bit concerning really...

Thanks for looking, it's really appreciated :)

Managed to get out for a while today and took the opportunity to get a phone shot for one of the 125 themes.

Managed to zoom in to max 500mm and capture this shot through the branches and leaves for this active starling.

Looks like the red eye reduction feature on the camera ain't working :)

I finally managed to get some good foliage shots today. Since I don't live in a place that has particularly vibrant fall colors, I'm getting a bit of a lesson in processing naturally saturated colors (such as the deep oranges in the leaves of certain trees). Indeed, some of my shots looked like they were oversaturated from the get-go.

 

Anyway, I pulled up to this spot and I saw two hunters up the road, so I signaled to let them know I was there. I didn't want to shout because I thought that would scare off whatever they were trying to kill, but one of them shouted back "DON'T WORRY, WE SEE YOU!" I'm not big on hunting and there's a small part of me that might have made enough noise to scare off the unwitting prey, but I also didn't want to get a derrière full of lead at the hands of a vengeful hunter. Anyway, what I loved about shooting this grove of trees was the radial look fo the trunks when shot from a low angle. I also loved the vibrance of the colors and the fact that I was able to capture some clouds in the sky. I think this would have been a nice shot even with a cloudless sky, but I do like that it's a bit more interesting with the clouds.

 

Prints: smu.gs/ROJNI7

 

Thank you for your visits and comments. Please feel free to add notes to any of my images.

 

I do a lot of HDR processing. All of my HDR photos can be found here.

 

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This was taken the first night of Glacier boot camp with Aaron and Alan. When there are clear skies, shoot for the stars. Just hours before, it was all different; the sky was blanketed with clouds with a thunderstorm rolling through the mountains. However the thunderstorm unleashed its force so swiftly it departed the scene far too quickly. All we were left with was clear skies.

  

Surely the epic sunset we were hoping for was not going to happen but at least I could put my rented lens to use. I knew I wanted to frame the Milky Way with Mt. Reynolds in the background and hence I searched for an interesting foreground. Luckily, Logan Pass area has a plethora of compositions with various cascades, waterfalls, and wildflower patches. I ultimately settled on this particular shelf with a twin cascade flowing over it. Looking up I noticed the valley to the right of Mt. Reynolds. With Mt. Reynolds having so much prominence, I wanted to frame the Milky Way appearing from behind Mt. Reynolds with the core filling in the space in that valley.

  

One thing I was not quite used to in Montana was the extremely long days. I had not realized being so far up north increased the daytime by so much. On top of that, it took far longer for the sky to get dark enough for the Milky Way to become visible. At last by 11pm, the sky finally darkened enough for stars to twinkle. And there she was: the Milky Way exposed herself from behind Mt. Reynolds. For majority of the time the core was hidden behind Mt. Reynolds but I waited until the Milky Way moved enough to expose its core in the valley as I had originally envisioned. By around 11:30pm, the scene was complete. The Milky Way stretched diagonally across my frame and the majority of the core was exposed in the relief of the valley.

  

Canon 5D Mark II

EF 24mm f/1.4L II

  

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I managed to find 4 newly emerged Red veined Darters at a private site near Reculver. Think the immature stage is probably my best and very pleased with the results. More photos @ www.marcheathwildlifephotography.zenfolio.com. Click 'My Blog'.

Managed to get this at first attempt too!

6am rise was required to get to Enfield early in the morning, but very happy it's paid off so well.

 

This is a library in Tianjin, and I finally managed to go see it. I have a few HDR panos from this place, but I decided on this one because of the perspective, also I think the people came out a little clearer. I used to use Affinity Photo for stitching, but I find LR is convenient enough for HDR, panos, and even HDR panos. If only it could focus stack.

 

Unfortunately, in order to save memory on my computer, I have already deleted the source images so I do not know how many there were. I do know that my HDR bracketing is my C2 setting on my R6II and I use a 7 shot bracket, with electronic shutter in the fastest drive possible, so even 7 shots is quite stable handheld.

managed a few of these 2 together this month, went with this for the group just because of their goofy expressions (well Biscuit at least)

I've not picked up my camera since June in Italy. In fact, this year has so far been the least productive of them all. So I'm trying to rectify this, as when I get out of the house with it I rarely regret it.

 

Hollywood filming has closed much of Old Town right now, so here's an abnormal subject. I do like what Virgin has done here, especially as this site was derelict for years.

 

As a bonus I've managed to capture my car in the window reflection.

 

5DSR + TSE 24L II

This Red Rhododendron Bloom was shot with my Canon PowerShot SX1 IS with the Raynox DCR-250 lens attached.

 

For my other shots taken with the Raynox DCR-250 lens, click here.

 

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Finally managed to load this picture - if my brother is watching TV then the broadband is sooooo slow - arrgghh!

 

Well I had an amazing day with my friend at the SWPP. A very long day but a very motivating and inspirational one!

 

The best talk was given by Zack and Jody Gray. Seriously I was on the verge of tears listening to these guys as they just seem to totally touch base with you and they are sooo positive. They simply exude an amazing aura. Big thanks to Nat

for pointing me in their direction! <3

 

I have a HUGE problem with confidence of my ability and I think this is the first 'talk' where I have actually come away and felt that I might, just might have what it takes to be brave and try the big wide world of photography :)

 

So for tonight it's off to bed with a very happy feeling - see you tomorrow flickr :)

Managed to get out to see the Eagles at Nicomen Slough one grey morning.

Steve manages the rope at the top of the ridge whilst Rich is seen lower down. This ridge dosn't look that steep here, however it was pretty sharp and had significant drops to both sides.

 

In the distance Sgurr Dearg and the Inaccessable Pinnacle can be seen with the great lump of Sgurr Mhicchoinnich in the medium distance. This was the night where we eventually found enough flat rock to bivvy at 1.00pm in the morning.

Managed an hours photography whilst visiting family in Gravesend last weekend.

Just managed to photograph this bunny at Stanpit Marsh Christchurch before he hopped off.

I managed to catch the sun just peeping over the horizon. The trees and fields are still in shadow, but to the west you can see the towers of Toronto gleaming in the dawn's rays.

 

This High Dynamic Range 360° aerial panorama was stitched from 78 bracketed photographs with PTGUI Pro, tone-mapped with Photomatix, processed with Color Efex, and touched up in Affinity Photo and Aperture.

 

Original size: 25000 × 12500 (312.5 MP; 953.01 MB).

 

Location: Ontario, Canada

Managed to get these shots this morning. So pleased and relieved to see they are still about after another dreadful few days in Suffolk.

I was very happy to see several skimmers today at the Tucklesholme reserve and manage to get some shots.

Many thanks to you ALL for the views, faves and comments you make on my shots it is very appreciated

Managed to catch this in-between the rain and strong winds during my walk of yesterday!

 

Stay Safe and Healthy Everyone!

 

Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... Thanks to you all!

Managed to get away for a few days - and took the chance to dress.

I managed to capture the moment that this Slavonian Grebe opened its bill. It didn't seem to be for any particular reason as it didn't make a sound. I presumed that she was incubating eggs but her partner approached calling and she lowered he head inviting him to mate, and he did just that, while remaining on the nest. This seems odd because grebes can only lay one egg a day at most. But they don't start incubating until the full clutch of 4 or 5 eggs is laid. This means that all the young hatch simultaneously so they can be taken around as a group by the parents. Grebes cover their white eggs with weed as a disguise when they leave the nest or until the full clutch is ready to incubate. But this female sat tight, making me think she was incubating. So why was she mating if the full clutch was laid? Maybe she just felt like it.

 

This was at a village pond in Swedish Lapland with lots of people around. The grebes seemed oblivious to all the people.

Managed to get another Athearn GP40-2 done. The prototype photo I used for reference was from RailPictures.net and was taken in 1999. www.railpictures.net/photo/55432/. You will notice some detail differences between the prototype and the model. The model is as the loco would have been in 1984 when painted into this scheme. However, I liked the look of this as it is in this photo so decided just to go with it. The locomotive was originally Western Pacific 3553 with a build date of Apr 1980. UP renumbered it to the 900 series in April 1984 and then to 9988 in Jan 2003.

Managed just 2 5 minute subs last night before clouds rolled in.

 

M16 Eagle Nebula Pillars of creation

After struggling with gear and getting a little LUM on this target, I switched to HA and recalibrated PHD2 which I had not done in a while, (yes that helped a lot). Got 2 subs before those wispy clouds settled in. You know the ones where your friends say hey it is clear out are you taking pictures?

So just 2 subs stacked with darks that were not quite close enough temp wise (darks were temp 57F images were 72F). So just ignore noise and be amazed at the technology. Essentially this is just a snapshot of this target.

BUT, it is the ten minutes like this that make me change my mind again about signing up for Deep Sky West rather than spend $$ on new gear. So cool to say WOW out loud when hitting autostretch for the first time 📷:)

2-300 seconds at gain 111 ASI183MM non cooled.

Managed to visit the Red Tower in York a few days later with my 10-20mm lens this time. The clouds were interesting and the wind had picked up so I thought I'd dig out the 10-stop filter.

( 263 of 365 )

All I could manage for this day , a drive in loads of rain , got soaked unloading so we will have to do with the above !!

They love nettles and this little swarm of mini munchers has managed to strip a patch.

 

www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=io

  

Larva

 

The behaviour of the larva is very similar to that of the Small Tortoiseshell, the two species often being seen together. In the first instar, Peacock larvae are very similar to those of the Small Tortoiseshell. However, mature Peacock larvae are jet black for the most part, whereas Small Tortoiseshell larvae are typically dark green with a pair of yellow stripes running down the length of their sides.

 

On emerging from their eggs, Peacock larvae build a communal web near the top of the plant and from which they emerge to bask and feed and are usually highly conspicuous. As the larvae grow, they move to new plants, building new webs along the way. Webs are decorated with shed larval skins and droppings and are easily found.

 

Larvae have several techniques to avoid predation. When disturbed, a group of larvae will often jerk their bodies from side to side in unison, which must be a formidable sight to any predator. The larvae will also regurgitate green fluid and will, if necessary, curl up in a ball and drop to the ground. Larvae feed both during the day and at night. There are 5 instars in total.

 

The primary larval foodplant is Common Nettle (Urtica dioica). Hop (Humulus lupulus) and Small Nettle (Urtica urens) are also used.

  

1st Instar

 

"The larva eats away the crown of the egg, and all hatch at once. Those at the bottom of the batch immediately start feeding through the leaf, and all live in a dense mass, spinning a web over the leaf. Directly after emergence the larva measures only 1.6 mm. long; the body is cylindrical; the head large, black and shining, beset with fine black hairs. On the body are four longitudinal rows of long, fine, black, simple hairs with bulbous bases; they are slightly curved and have the extreme tips very slightly clubbed and whitish. On the ventral surface and claspers are paler fine straight hairs; the spiracles are outlined with black. The surface is finely granular, with minute, raised, dark points. The colour is a very light ochreous-green, almost white-green." - Frohawk (1924)

  

2nd Instar

 

"The first moult was on June 5th, 1908, the first stage lasting six days. Before the second moult, nine days old, it measures 8 mm. in length. It is a good deal similar to the previous stage; the base of the longest hairs now form black conical tubercles, which are beset with bristles, and each terminates in a long, slightly serrated black hair. There are numerous black serrated hairs of different lengths, some extremely small, scattered over the body, which is granulated with fine black points. The head is shining black, with minute black bristles. The surface of the body is very shining, of a mottled olive-brown, blotched with pale ochreous round each of the largest tubercles. They live and feed in company. Preparatory to moulting they all assemble in a dense mass on a thick carpet of web spun over the eaten part of the plant, and thereon, packed together, undergo the second moult. When disturbed they all throw up the anterior half of their bodies in the form of a hook (thus c__) and remain so for a few minutes." - Frohawk (1924

  

3rd Instar

 

"The second moult occurred on June 9th, 1908, the second stage occupying four days. Before the third moult, thirteen days old, it measures from 12.7 mm. to 14.8 mm. long. In this stage a further development in the size of the tubercles is noticeable, especially the two dorsal rows, which are of considerable length and terminate, as all the shorter ones do, with long, slightly curved hairs. The ground colour is purplish-dark-brown, the longer hairs, which are scattered over the body, are placed on white dots. The head and other details of the surface are as in the previous stage; the claspers are pale olive-ochreous. They still live gregariously, and, as in the previous stage, prior to moulting they all assemble in a dense pack, forming a conspicuous black mass. In this stage they consume a great quantity of food; and when touched or irritated exude from the mouth a comparatively large drop of green liquid; and when slightly disturbed they throw up their heads and fore part of the body as in the last stage, and if still further annoyed or shaken they fall to the ground with much wriggling, at the same time lowering themselves by a silk thread." - Frohawk (1924)

  

4th Instar

 

"The third moult June 13th, 1908. The third stage also lasted four days. Before fourth moult, eighteen days old, the larva is 25.4 mm. in length; very similar to the previous stage. All the tubercles are well developed, the two dorsal rows being about twice the length of the sub-dorsal and lateral series. The white spots are now more distinct and numerous. The head and legs are shining black, as well as the anal pair of claspers. The ground colour is a purple-black; in other respects the details are the same as in the previous stage. Before moulting they again assemble in a dense mass." - Frohawk (1924)

  

5th Instar

 

"The fourth and last moult took place on June 18th, 1908, the fourth stage lasting five days. After fourth moult, fully grown, about twenty-eight days old, it averages in length about 41 .3 mm., some specimens as much as 44 mm. long. It is fairly cylindrical and comparatively slender; the first segment is much the smallest. There are six longitudinal rows of black shining spines from the fifth to eleventh segments inclusive; the second and third segments have each only two dorsal spines, which are longer than those on the other segments; the fourth and anal segments have each four spines; the first segment has no spines, but a transverse ridge of fine black hairs. The spines are sub-dorsal, super-spiracular and sub-spiracular. They are long and shining black, sharply pointed, and bear numerous bristles of various lengths; the body is densely covered with minute black bristles, which adds intensity to the rich velvety-black ground colour. At the segmental divisions the surface is smooth and of a dull leaden-black. Each segment is encircled with numerous pure white globular warts, each emitting a fine white hair; the largest are in front of the spiracles. On the first segment is a dorsal, shining, black, transverse disc, and two round ones on the anal segment; the first is small and adjoins the eleventh segment, the other forms a large rounded knob on the extremity. The head and legs are shining black and thickly studded with black bristles of varying lengths; the claspers are ochreous-brown at the base, the middle portion bright ochreous, the foot palest. Several of the larvae were fully grown on June 24th (the fifth stage occupying six days), making the larval period twenty-seven days: twenty-five days feeding and two days occupied in changing to pupa." - Frohawk (1924)

  

This weekend is photos resurrection day for me! ;) This is another shot which i think i've managed to revive from the grave. It seems that i really do not have much luck with photos to do with horses.. they just seem to turn out overly exposed or noisy :-| i reckon i don't get on well with horses haha!..maybe cos i'm not as well hung like them LOL! However fyi i'm getting there tho :P you wouldn't want to know :D Have a great sunday tomorrow!

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About

 

The Horse Drawn Trams at Victor Harbor

 

* As repeated in my previous horse drawn trams photo :)

The Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Trams are a South Australian icon and have been serving visitors to Granite Island and Victor Harbor since 1894. The tram uses 14 Clydesdale Horses on a rotational basis with the trams accommodating approximately 50 passengers. Each horse works only two shifts a week with the trams running on roller bearings, to make it easy work for them.

 

It's iconic image and unsurpassed service to approximately 180,000 visitors to Victor Harbor each year provides a memorable journey for people of all backgrounds and establishes a fond memory of the Fleurieu Peninsula region for all age groups.

 

The Shot

 

1 exposure shot (0 EV) taken handheld using the Canon kit lens EF-S 18-55mm lens and polarized light filter

 

Photomatix

 

- Tonemapped generated HDR using single file conversion with detail enhancer option

 

Photoshop

 

- Added 1 layer effect of 'curves' to increase the contrast

- Added 1 layer effect of 'warm' photo filter to enhance the atmosphere of the sunset feel

- Added 1 layer effect of 'saturation' (master) to slightly increase the overall saturation;

- Applied slight dodging on the horses & carriages

- Applied noise reduction

- Used 'unsharp mask' (as always) on the background layer

 

You

 

All comments, criticism and tips for improvements are (as always) welcome.

 

Video

 

Victor Harbor Horse Trams

 

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Managed to capture this show of affection and protection.

Yay, managed to get up to London yesterday after too long an absence. I had wanted to capture this artwork and was very happy when the car park space in front of it was vacant. Just as I was about to press the shutter a car drove into the space, the driver got out and said, sorry, and headed towards the ticket machine. I was quietly cursing under my breath, when lo and behold, he got back in his car and drove away - either a parking restriction, too expensive or his conscience got the better of him ... I would like to think the latter but know it was one of the first two mentioned ...

Managed to beat the flying footballs today (Just!)

Well I managed a trip out this afternoon, not much about as it was still quite chilly, but I did spot a few of these guys sitting on Dandelions, this is one of the Tenthredo sp. Sawflies and I'm not sure which, although it is a species I see commonly, but I know there are many similar species in this Genus.

 

Anyway as it was cold this one allowed me to take an 18 image handheld focus stack of its noggin, I used ISO 320, Aperture F/5.6 and a 1/160 shutter speed. Soon after this the Sawfly started to stir and promptly flew off.

 

Possible ID :- Tenthredo arcuata or Tenthredo notha

 

Hope everyone has a grand week :o)

  

Managed to take this photo just after a huge storm so can count myself lucky. The one thing you can't see in the photo is the 15 other photographers crammed under the pier taking the same shot

www.matthewdowningphotography.com

 

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Managed to get it new and still sealed in original packaging!

Frankreich / Île-de-France - Schloss Versailles

 

Queen's hamlet

 

Weiler der Königin

 

The Palace of Versailles (/vɛərˈsaɪ, vɜːrˈsaɪ/ vair-SY, vur-SY; French: château de Versailles [ʃɑto d(ə) vɛʁsɑj]) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about 18 kilometres (11 mi) west of the city centre of Paris, in the Yvelines department of Île-de-France region in France.

 

The palace is owned by the government of France and since 1995 has been managed, under the direction of the French Ministry of Culture, by the Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles. About 15,000,000 people visit the palace, park, or gardens of Versailles every year, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.

 

Louis XIII built a hunting lodge at Versailles in 1623. His successor, Louis XIV, expanded the château into a palace that went through several expansions in phases from 1661 to 1715. It was a favourite residence for both kings, and in 1682, Louis XIV moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the de facto capital of France. This state of affairs was continued by Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, who primarily made interior alterations to the palace, but in 1789 the royal family and French court returned to Paris. For the rest of the French Revolution, the Palace of Versailles was largely abandoned and emptied of its contents, and the population of the surrounding city plummeted.

 

Napoleon, following his coronation as Emperor, used the subsidiary palace, Grand Trianon, as a summer residence from 1810 to 1814, but did not use the main palace. Following the Bourbon Restoration, when the king was returned to the throne, he resided in Paris and it was not until the 1830s that meaningful repairs were made to the palace. A museum of French history was installed within it, replacing the courtiers' apartments of the southern wing.

 

The palace and park were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 for its importance as the centre of power, art, and science in France during the 17th and 18th centuries. The French Ministry of Culture has placed the palace, its gardens, and some of its subsidiary structures on its list of culturally significant monuments.

 

History

 

In 1623, Louis XIII, king of France, built a hunting lodge on a hill in a favourite hunting ground, 19 kilometres (12 mi) west of Paris, and 16 kilometres (10 mi) from his primary residence, the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The site, near a village named Versailles, was a wooded wetland that Louis XIII's court scorned as being generally unworthy of a king; one of his courtiers, François de Bassompierre, wrote that the lodge "would not inspire vanity in even the simplest gentleman". From 1631 to 1634, architect Philibert Le Roy replaced the lodge with a château for Louis XIII, who forbade his queen, Anne of Austria, from staying there overnight, even when an outbreak of smallpox at Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1641 forced Louis XIII to relocate to Versailles with his three-year-old heir, the future Louis XIV.

 

When Louis XIII died in 1643, Anne became Louis XIV's regent, and Louis XIII's château was abandoned for the next decade. She moved the court back to Paris, where Anne and her chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin, continued Louis XIII's unpopular monetary practices. This led to the Fronde, a series of revolts against royal authority from 1648 to 1653 that masked a struggle between Mazarin and the princes of the blood, Louis XIV's extended family, for influence over him. In the aftermath of the Fronde, Louis XIV became determined to rule alone. Following Mazarin's death in 1661, Louis XIV reformed his government to exclude his mother and the princes of the blood, moved the court back to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and ordered the expansion of his father's château at Versailles into a palace.

 

Louis XIV had hunted at Versailles in the 1650s, but did not take any special interest in Versailles until 1661. On 17 August 1661, Louis XIV was a guest at a sumptuous festival hosted by Nicolas Fouquet, the Superintendent of Finances, at his palatial residence, the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. Louis XIV was impressed by the château and its gardens, which were the work of Louis Le Vau, the court architect since 1654, André Le Nôtre, the royal gardener since 1657, and Charles Le Brun, a painter in royal service since 1647. Vaux-le-Vicomte's scale and opulence led him to imprison Fouquet that September, as he had also built an island fortress and a private army. But Louis XIV was also inspired by Vaux-le-Vicomte, and he recruited its authors for his own projects. Louis XIV replaced Fouquet with Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a protégé of Mazarin and enemy of Fouquet, and charged him with managing the corps of artisans in royal employment. Colbert acted as the intermediary between them and Louis XIV, who personally directed and inspected the planning and construction of Versailles.

 

Construction

 

Work at Versailles was at first concentrated on gardens, and through the 1660s, Le Vau only added two detached service wings and a forecourt to the château. But in 1668–69, as a response to the growth of the gardens, and the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668), Louis XIV decided to turn Versailles into a full-scale royal residence. He vacillated between replacing or incorporating his father's château, but settled on the latter by the end of the decade, and from 1668 to 1671, Louis XIII's château was encased on three sides in a feature dubbed the enveloppe. This gave the château a new, Italianate façade overlooking the gardens, but preserved the courtyard façade, resulting in a mix of styles and materials that dismayed Louis XIV and that Colbert described as a "patchwork". Attempts to homogenize the two façades failed, and in 1670 Le Vau died, leaving the post of First Architect to the King vacant for the next seven years.

 

Le Vau was succeeded at Versailles by his assistant, architect François d'Orbay. Work at the palace during the 1670s focused on its interiors, as the palace was then nearing completion, though d'Orbay expanded Le Vau's service wings and connected them to the château, and built a pair of pavilions for government employees in the forecourt. In 1670, d'Orbay was tasked by Louis XIV with designing a city, also called Versailles, to house and service Louis XIV's growing government and court. The granting of land to courtiers for the construction of townhouses that resembled the palace began in 1671. The next year, the Franco-Dutch War began and funding for Versailles was cut until 1674, when Louis XIV had work begun on the Ambassadors' Staircase, a grand staircase for the reception of guests, and demolished the last of the village of Versailles.

 

Following the end of the Franco-Dutch War with French victory in 1678, Louis XIV appointed as First Architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart, an experienced architect in Louis XIV's confidence, who would benefit from a restored budget and large workforce of former soldiers. Mansart began his tenure with the addition from 1678 to 1681 of the Hall of Mirrors, a renovation of the courtyard façade of Louis XIII's château, and the expansion of d'Orbay's pavilions to create the Ministers' Wings in 1678–79. Adjacent to the palace, Hardouin-Mansart built a pair of stables called the Grande and Petite Écuries from 1679 to 1682 and the Grand Commun, which housed the palace's servants and general kitchens, from 1682 to 1684. Hardouin-Mansart also added two entirely new wings in Le Vau's Italianate style to house the court,[75] first at the south end of the palace from 1679 to 1681 and then at its north end from 1685 to 1689.

 

War and the resulting diminished funding slowed construction at Versailles for the rest of the 17th century. The Nine Years' War, which began in 1688, stopped work altogether until 1698. Three years later, however, the even more expensive War of the Spanish Succession began and, combined with poor harvests in 1693–94 and 1709–10, plunged France into crisis. Louis XIV thus slashed funding and cancelled some of the work Hardouin-Mansart had planned in the 1680s, such as the remodelling of the courtyard façade in the Italianate style. Louis XIV and Hardouin-Mansart focused on a permanent palace chapel, the construction of which lasted from 1699 to 1710.

 

Louis XIV's successors, Louis XV and Louis XVI, largely left Versailles as they inherited it and focused on the palace's interiors. Louis XV's modifications began in the 1730s, with the completion of the Salon d'Hercule, a ballroom in the north wing, and the expansion of the king's private apartment, which required the demolition of the Ambassadors' Staircase. In 1748, Louis XV began construction of a palace theatre, the Royal Opera of Versailles at the northernmost end of the palace, but completion was delayed until 1770; construction was interrupted in the 1740s by the War of the Austrian Succession and then again in 1756 with the start of the Seven Years' War. These wars emptied the royal treasury and thereafter construction was mostly funded by Madame du Barry, Louis XV's favourite mistress. In 1771, Louis XV had the northern Ministers' Wing rebuilt in Neoclassical style by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, his court architect, as it was in the process of falling down. That work was also stopped by financial constraints, and it remained incomplete when Louis XV died in 1774. In 1784, Louis XVI briefly moved the royal family to the Château de Saint-Cloud ahead of more renovations to the Palace of Versailles, but construction could not begin because of financial difficulty and political crisis. In 1789, the French Revolution swept the royal family and government out of Versailles forever.

 

Role in politics and culture

 

The Palace of Versailles was key to Louis XIV's politics, as an expression and concentration of French art and culture, and for the centralization of royal power. Louis XIV first used Versailles to promote himself with a series of nighttime festivals in its gardens in 1664, 1668, and 1674, the events of which were disseminated throughout Europe by print and engravings. As early as 1669, but especially from 1678, Louis XIV sought to make Versailles his seat of government, and he expanded the palace so as to fit the court within it. The moving of the court to Versailles did not come until 1682, however, and not officially, as opinion on Versailles was mixed among the nobility of France.

 

By 1687, however, it was evident to all that Versailles was the de facto capital of France, and Louis XIV succeeded in attracting the nobility to Versailles to pursue prestige and royal patronage within a strict court etiquette, thus eroding their traditional provincial power bases. It was at the Palace of Versailles that Louis XIV received the Doge of Genoa, Francesco Maria Imperiale Lercari in 1685, an embassy from the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1686, and an embassy from Safavid Iran in 1715.

 

Louis XIV died at Versailles on 1 September 1715 and was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson, Louis XV,[78][106] then the duke of Anjou, who was moved to the Château de Vincennes and then to Paris by Louis XV's regent, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans. Versailles was neglected until 1722, when Philippe II removed the court to Versailles to escape the unpopularity of his regency, and when Louis XV began his majority. The 1715 move, however, broke the cultural power of Versailles, and during the reign of Louis XVI, courtiers spent their leisure in Paris, not Versailles.

 

During Christmas 1763, Mozart and his family visited Versailles and dined with the King. The 7-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played several works during his stay and later dedicated his first two harpsichord sonatas, published in 1764 in Paris, to Madame Victoria, daughter of Louis XV.

 

In 1783, the palace was the site of the signing of the last two of the three treaties of the Peace of Paris (1783), which ended the American Revolutionary War. On 3 September, British and American delegates, led by Benjamin Franklin, signed the Treaty of Paris at the Hôtel d'York (now 56 Rue Jacob) in Paris, granting the United States independence. On 4 September, Spain and France signed separate treaties with Britain at the Palace of Versailles, formally ending the war.

 

The King and Queen learned of the Storming of the Bastille in Paris on 14 July 1789, while they were at the palace, and remained isolated there as the Revolution in Paris spread. The growing anger in Paris led to the Women's March on Versailles on 5 October 1789. A crowd of several thousand men and women, protesting the high price and scarcity of bread, marched from the markets of Paris to Versailles. They took weapons from the city armoury, besieged the palace, and compelled the King and royal family and the members of the National Constituent Assembly to return with them to Paris the following day.

 

As soon as the royal family departed, the palace was closed. In 1792, the National Convention, the new revolutionary government, ordered the transfer of all the paintings and sculptures from the palace to the Louvre. In 1793, the Convention declared the abolition of the monarchy and ordered all of the royal property in the palace to be sold at auction. The auction took place between 25 August 1793 and 11 August 1794. The furnishings and art of the palace, including the furniture, mirrors, baths, and kitchen equipment, were sold in seventeen thousand lots. All fleurs-de-lys and royal emblems on the buildings were chambered or chiselled off. The empty buildings were turned into a storehouse for furnishings, art and libraries confiscated from the nobility. The empty grand apartments were opened for tours beginning in 1793, and a small museum of French paintings and art school was opened in some of the empty rooms.

 

By virtue of an order issued by the Versailles district directorate in August 1794, the Royal Gate was destroyed, the Cour Royale was cleared and the Cour de Marbre lost its precious floor.

 

19th century – history museum and government venue

 

When Napoleon became Emperor of the French in 1804, he considered making Versailles his residence but abandoned the idea because of the cost of the renovation. Prior to his marriage with Marie-Louise in 1810, he had the Grand Trianon restored and refurnished as a springtime residence for himself and his family, in the style of furnishing that it is seen today.

 

In 1815, with the final downfall of Napoleon, Louis XVIII, the younger brother of Louis XVI, became king, and considered returning the royal residence to Versailles, where he had been born. He ordered the restoration of the royal apartments, but the task and cost was too great. Louis XVIII had the far end of the south wing of the Cour Royale demolished and rebuilt (1814–1824) to match the Gabriel wing of 1780 opposite, which gave greater uniformity of appearance to the front entrance. Neither he nor his successor Charles X lived at Versailles.

 

The French Revolution of 1830 brought a new monarch, Louis-Philippe to power, and a new ambition for Versailles. He did not reside at Versailles but began the creation of the Museum of the History of France, dedicated to "all the glories of France", which had been used to house some members of the royal family. The museum was begun in 1833 and inaugurated on 30 June 1837. Its most famous room is the Galerie des Batailles (Hall of Battles), which lies on most of the length of the second floor of the south wing. The museum project largely came to a halt when Louis Philippe was overthrown in 1848, though the paintings of French heroes and great battles still remain in the south wing.

 

Emperor Napoleon III used the palace on occasion as a stage for grand ceremonies. One of the most lavish was the banquet that he hosted for Queen Victoria in the Royal Opera of Versailles on 25 August 1855.

 

During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, the palace was occupied by the general staff of the victorious German Army. Parts of the château, including the Hall of Mirrors, were turned into a military hospital. The creation of the German Empire, combining Prussia and the surrounding German states under William I, was formally proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors on 18 January 1871. The Germans remained in the palace until the signing of the armistice in March 1871. In that month, the government of the new Third French Republic, which had departed Paris during the war for Tours and then Bordeaux, moved into the palace. The National Assembly held its meetings in the Opera House.

 

The uprising of the Paris Commune in March 1871, prevented the French government, under Adolphe Thiers, from returning immediately to Paris. The military operation which suppressed the Commune at the end of May was directed from Versailles, and the prisoners of the Commune were marched there and put on trial in military courts. In 1875 a second parliamentary body, the French Senate, was created and held its meetings for the election of a President of the Republic in a new hall created in 1876 in the south wing of the palace. The French Senate and National Assembly continue to meet in the palace in joint session on special occasions, such as the amendment of the Constitution of France.

 

20th century

 

The end of the 19th and the early 20th century saw the beginning of restoration efforts at the palace, first led by Pierre de Nolhac, poet and scholar and the first conservator, who began his work in 1892. The conservation and restoration were interrupted by two world wars but have continued until the present day.

 

The palace returned to the world stage in June 1919, when, after six months of negotiations, the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending the First World War, was signed in the Hall of Mirrors. Between 1925 and 1928, the American philanthropist and multi-millionaire John D. Rockefeller, Jr. gave $2,166,000, the equivalent of about 38 million dollars in 2024, to restore and refurbish the palace.

 

More work took place after World War II, with the restoration of the Royal Opera of Versailles. The theatre was reopened in 1957, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

 

In 1978, parts of the palace were heavily damaged in a bombing committed by Breton terrorists.

 

Starting in the 1950s, when the museum of Versailles was under the directorship of Gérald van der Kemp, the objective was to restore the palace to its state – or as close to it as possible – in 1789 when the royal family left the palace. Among the early projects was the repair of the roof over the Hall of Mirrors; the publicity campaign brought international attention to the plight of post-war Versailles and garnered much foreign money including a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.

 

One of the more costly endeavours for the museum and the French Fifth Republic has been to repurchase as much of the original furnishings as possible. Consequently, because furniture with a royal provenance – and especially furniture that was made for Versailles – is a highly sought-after commodity on the international market, the museum has spent considerable funds on retrieving much of the palace's original furnishings.

 

21st century

 

In 2003, a new restoration initiative – the "Grand Versailles" project – was started, which began with the replanting of the gardens, which had lost over 10,000 trees during Cyclone Lothar on 26 December 1999. One part of the initiative, the restoration of the Hall of Mirrors, was completed in 2006. Another major project was the further restoration of the backstage areas of the Royal Opera of Versailles in 2007 to 2009.

 

The Palace of Versailles is currently owned by the French state. Its formal title is the Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles. Since 1995, it has been run as a Public Establishment, with an independent administration and management supervised by the French Ministry of Culture.

 

The grounds of the palace hosted the equestrian competition during the 2024 Summer Olympics.

 

The Queen's hamlet and Theatre

 

Near the Trianons are the French pavilion, built by Gabriel in 1750 between the two residences, and the Queen's Theatre and Queen's Hamlet, built by architect Richard Mique in 1780 and from 1783 to 1785 respectively. These were both built at the behest of Marie Antoinette; the theatre, hidden in the gardens, indulged her appreciation of opera and is absolutely original, and the hamlet to extend her gardens with rustic amenities. The building scheme of the Queen's Hamlet includes a farmhouse (the farm was to produce milk and eggs for the queen), a dairy, a dovecote, a boudoir, a barn that burned down during the French Revolution, a mill and a tower in the form of a lighthouse.

 

Modern political and ceremonial functions

 

The palace still serves political functions. Heads of state are regaled in the Hall of Mirrors; the bicameral French Parliament—consisting of the Senate (Sénat) and the National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)—meet in joint session (a congress of the French Parliament) in Versailles to revise or otherwise amend the French Constitution, a tradition that came into effect with the promulgation of the 1875 Constitution. For example, the Parliament met in joint session at Versailles to pass constitutional amendments in June 1999 (for domestic applicability of International Criminal Court decisions and for gender equality in candidate lists), in January 2000 (ratifying the Treaty of Amsterdam), in March 2003 (specifying the "decentralized organization" of the French Republic), and in March 2024 (to enshrine the freedom of women to have recourse to abortion).

 

In 2009, President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed the Great Recession before a congress in Versailles, the first time that this had been done since 1848, when Louis Napoleon Bonaparte gave an address before the French Second Republic. Following the November 2015 Paris attacks, President François Hollande gave a speech before a rare joint session of parliament at the Palace of Versailles. This was the third time since 1848 that a French president addressed a joint session of the French Parliament at Versailles. The president of the National Assembly has an official apartment at the Palace of Versailles. In 2023 a state visit by Charles III to France included a state banquet at the Palace.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Das Schloss Versailles (französisch château de Versailles) in der gleichnamigen Nachbarstadt von Paris ist eine der größten Palastanlagen Europas und war von der Mitte des 17. Jahrhunderts bis zum Ausbruch der Französischen Revolution die Hauptresidenz der Könige von Frankreich. Der Barockbau, dessen größte Ausdehnung mehr als einen halben Kilometer beträgt, gilt als ein Höhepunkt europäischer Palastarchitektur und diente vom 17. bis zum 19. Jahrhundert als Vorbild für zahlreiche weitere Schlossbauten.

 

Ursprünglich von Philibert Le Roy als Jagdschloss für König Ludwig XIII. errichtet, wurde die Anlage ab 1661 unter Ludwig XIV. durch Louis Le Vau, François II d’Orbay, Jules Hardouin-Mansart und Robert de Cotte in mehreren Phasen um- und ausgebaut. Die Innenausstattung schuf Charles Lebrun, die berühmten Gartenanlagen, die aus einem Jagdpark hervorgingen, stammen von André Le Nôtre. Erst 1682 war der Riesenbau so weit vorangeschritten, dass der „Sonnenkönig“ mit seinem Hofstaat von Schloss Saint-Germain-en-Laye nach Versailles umziehen konnte. In seiner Zeit als Residenz war der Palast fast durchgehend von einem mehrere tausend Personen umfassenden Hofstaat bewohnt und bildete das kulturelle und große politische Zentrum Frankreichs.

 

Seit dem 19. Jahrhundert wird das Schloss als Museum genutzt. Es steht heute für Besucher offen, ebenso wie die weitläufigen Gartenanlagen und wie die drei weiteren im Park befindlichen Lustschlösser Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon und Hameau de la Reine. Während der Mittelbau mit den Staatssälen des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts in der ursprünglichen Form zu sehen ist, beherbergen die großen Seitenflügel das im 19. Jahrhundert eingerichtete Museum der Geschichte Frankreichs. 1979 wurde Schloss Versailles in die Liste des UNESCO-Weltkulturerbes aufgenommen.

 

Das Schlossgebäude

 

Das Bauwerk

 

Der Ursprung: Ein kleines Jagdschloss

 

Der Ort Versailles vor den Toren der Hauptstadt Paris wurde 1038 erstmals urkundlich erwähnt. Der Wortstamm – versare, d. h. umgraben, umwenden – lässt seine ursprüngliche Bedeutung noch erkennen und verweist auf das kleine Bauerndorf und seine Äcker, die einst hier lagen.[3] Im Dorf Versailles befanden sich im 17. Jahrhundert ein verfallenes kleines Schloss und eine Mühle. Die Ländereien und das Anwesen gehörten zum größten Teil der ansässigen Familie Gondi, ein kleinerer Teil befand sich in königlichem Besitz. Ludwig XIII., der das wildreiche Gebiet der Galie häufig bei Jagdausflügen aufsuchte, nächtigte gelegentlich in dem mittelalterlichen Versailler Schloss und sogar in der Mühle.

 

1623 ließ sich der König anstelle der Mühle ein kleines Jagdhaus errichten, in dem er 1624 das erste Mal übernachtete. Dieser gelegentlich als Kartenschloss verspottete Ansitz war so klein, dass er nicht einmal Räumlichkeiten für die Königin enthielt. François de Bassompierre bezeichnete das Jagdhaus als „ein armseliges Schloss, bei dem nicht mal ein einfacher Edelmann Neid empfindet“. Nachdem der König Ländereien der Gondi in Versailles hinzu erworben hatte, ließ er das Gebäude von 1631 bis 1634 durch Philibert Le Roy zu einem dreiflügeligen Jagdschloss erweitern. Das verfallene alte Schloss wurde später abgetragen. Das von einem Graben umgebene, aus Backstein erbaute und mit Sandsteinelementen gegliederte neue Versailler Schloss wurde im Stil des frühen französischen Barock errichtet. Dieses Jagdschloss bildet bis heute den Kern der Anlage, es umschließt den Marmorhof, den letzten und kleinsten der drei Ehrenhöfe, die der Stadtseite des Palastes vorgelagert sind. Nach dem Tode Ludwig XIII. ging das Gebäude als Teil des Erbes an seinen Sohn und Nachfolger Ludwig XIV. über. Der junge König residierte nach seiner Regierungsübernahme 1661 regelmäßig in Versailles, das ihm zunächst vor allem als Lustschloss und Sommersitz diente und in dem er große Hoffeste ausrichten ließ.

 

Den entscheidenden Impuls zum Ausbau des Palastes lieferte wohl der Finanzminister Nicolas Fouquet. Dieser ließ sich mit Vaux-le-Vicomte ein aufsehenerregendes Schloss erbauen, das nicht nur die Kunst des höfischen Barock in Frankreich nachhaltig prägen sollte, sondern auch den Zorn des Königs erregte. Ludwig XIV. vermutete, dass Fouquet die Pracht zu einem Großteil mit dem Griff in die Staatskasse finanzierte. Er warf seinem Minister Untreue vor und ließ ihn verhaften. Das in Vaux geschaffene Gesamtkunstwerk aus Bauarchitektur und Gartenkunst bestätigte den König in seinem Vorhaben, sich eine zeitgemäße Residenz errichten zu lassen. Er zog Fouquets Architekten und Künstler zu Rate und beauftragte sie schließlich mit dem Ausbau des kleinen Schlosses seines Vaters.

 

Ausbau zum Residenzschloss

 

Entgegen dem Ratschlag des Finanzministers Colbert, der aus Kosten- und Prestigegründen einen Neubau empfahl, weigerte sich Ludwig XIV. für die Versailler Residenz das alte Jagdschloss aufzugeben und so wurde das den späteren Marmorhof umschließende Gebäude im Laufe der Zeit umgebaut und in mehreren Abschnitten in den Neubau integriert. Der König schrieb in seinen Memoiren sogar, selbst wenn das alte Schloss hätte abgerissen werden müssen, so hätte er es ganz genauso wieder errichten lassen, wie es war. Nach anfänglichen kleineren Umbauten ab 1661 bildete der Aachener Frieden von 1668 den Auftakt zu einer ersten Erweiterung des Schlosses. Der U-förmige Mittelbau Ludwigs XIII., Kern des heutigen Corps de Logis, erhielt von 1668 bis 1671 durch Le Vau die enveloppé. Dabei handelte es sich um eine bauliche, sogenannte Ummantelung des alten Schlosses durch zwei neue, äußere Trakte. Die südlichen Flügel der Ummantelung nahmen die Paradezimmer der Königin auf, die nördlichen jene des Königs. Dieser Bau besaß anstelle der späteren Spiegelgalerie noch eine große Terrasse über den gartenseitigen Arkaden des Erdgeschosses.

 

1677 verkündete der König, Versailles zum künftigen Regierungssitz zu bestimmen. Der damit verbundene Ausbau des Palastes begann im Zuge des Friedens von Nimwegen, der Umzug des Hofstaats erfolgte ab dem 5. Mai 1682. Von 1678 bis 1684 wurde die Terrasse des Corps de Logis samt den ihr benachbarten Salons durch Jules Hardouin-Mansart über- und umgebaut und die Spiegelgalerie, sowie die Salons des Krieges und des Friedens installiert. Die ursprünglich waagerechten Fensterabschlüsse des ersten Stockwerkes wurden durch Rundbogenfenster ersetzt, die mit den Spiegeln der großen Galerie korrespondierten. Mit diesen Baumaßnahmen erhielt die Gartenfassade des Hauptgebäudes ihre heutige Gestalt.

 

Um Platz für den Hofstaat zu schaffen, wurden gleichzeitig mit den Erweiterungen am Corps de Logis 1678 die Arbeiten am Südflügel und ab 1685 die am Nordflügel begonnen. Mansart plädierte zudem dafür, das Schloss um ein weiteres Stockwerk zu erhöhen, um so mehr Wohnraum zu erhalten, was der König jedoch aus unbekannten Gründen ablehnte. Beide Flügelbauten bestehen aus jeweils zwei parallel zueinander errichteten langen Gebäuderiegeln, je einer auf der Garten- und einer auf der Stadtseite. Diese sind durch Querbauten mehrfach miteinander verbunden und beinhalten so eine Anzahl kleinerer Lichthöfe. Der Südflügel war 1684 weitgehend fertig gestellt, der später begonnene Nordflügel fünf Jahre darauf. Die Arbeiten an dessen stadtseitig gelegenem Trakt wurden wegen der Kosten des Pfälzischen Erbfolgekrieges jedoch eingestellt und der Bau erst im 19. Jahrhundert vollendet. Für den Bau des Nordflügels musste die Thetis-Grotte, ein mit Statuen geschmücktes Brunnenhaus von 1664, abgerissen werden. Die darin ausgestellten Skulpturen befinden sich heute zum Teil im sogenannten Boskett des Apollo-Bades im Park des Schlosses. Auf dem Standort der Thetis-Grotte erhebt sich der Bau der 1710 durch Robert de Cotte fertiggestellten Schlosskapelle, deren Zugang durch den Nordflügel erfolgt.

 

Die Flügel des Versailler Schlosses und seiner Nebengebäude gruppieren sich um drei in einer Achse gelegene Hofplätze, die zusammen eine weitgehend zusammenhängende Fläche bilden und vom Zentrum des Schlosses in Richtung der Stadt führen. Den Ausgangspunkt bildet der kleine Marmorhof (Cour de Marbre) des umbauten Jagdschlosses, auf diesen folgt der von den Verlängerungstrakten des Corps de Logis umgebene Königshof (Cour Royale) und schließlich der große Platz des Ministerhofs (Cour des Ministres) mit den freistehenden Ministerflügeln. Da Versailles nicht nur königliche Residenz, sondern auch Regierungssitz war, wurde mit diesen Gebäuden Platz für die Hofbeamten geschaffen. Den Höfen stadtseitig gegenüber stehen der kleine und der große Marstall, umfangreiche Gebäude für die Pferde und den Fuhrpark der königlichen Familie. Östlich, vom Südflügel des Schlosses und dem südlichen Ministertrakt begrenzt, befindet sich außerdem das vierflügelige Grand Commun, ein solitär stehender Wirtschaftsbau von 1682, der die Schlossküchen und Bedienstetenwohnungen für über 1.000 Hofangestellte enthielt.

 

Nach dem Umzug des Hofes 1682 arbeiteten zeitweise über 22.000 Menschen an und in Versailles, nach den Angaben eines Zeitgenossen erreichte die Zahl der Arbeiter im Jahr 1685 sogar 36.000. Zum Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts war Versailles in seinen heutigen Dimensionen weitgehend fertiggestellt; die Gartenfassade ist 570 Meter breit.

 

Stilistische Einordnung

 

Das Äußere des Schlosses ist in zwei verschiedenen Stilformen gehalten, die zudem durch die unterschiedliche Addition der einzelnen Baukörper einen konträren Eindruck vermitteln. Die Stadtfassaden bestehen aus zahlreichen Einzelgebäuden, so dass sich dem Betrachter erst beim näheren Hinsehen erschließt, dass sie alle gemeinsam ein großes, zusammenhängendes Gebäude bilden. Die Fassaden des Schlosses folgen hier dem älteren Stil des ursprünglichen Jagdschlosses rund um den Marmorhof und entsprechen noch dem frühen französischen Barock. Sie sind aus rotem Ziegelstein errichtet, der mit Sandsteinelementen gegliedert ist, die Baukörper tragen sichtbare Mansarddächer.

 

Die Gartenfassaden des Schlosses sind im Stil des für Frankreich typischen klassizistischen Barocks gestaltet und gehen damit auf die Vorgabe von Le Vaus Ummantelung zurück. Horizontale Linien dominieren das Bauwerk und nur risalitartig hervorspringende Portale lockern die strengen Sandsteinfassaden auf. Die abschließende Balustrade des Obergeschosses ist mit steinernen Vasen und Trophäendarstellungen dekoriert und verbirgt hinter sich flache Dächer. Die Gartenfassade fasst die Gebäudeteile zu einem großen Block zusammen, dessen Breitenwirkung durch die horizontale Gliederung noch gesteigert wird.

 

Die verschiedenen Baustile des Schlosses, die majestätisch-monotone Garten- und die kleinteiligeren Stadtfassaden riefen nicht nur Bewunderung, sondern auch Kritik hervor. Versailles steht im völligen Kontrast zu den anderen Barockschlössern Frankreichs, die zumeist nicht nur kleiner, sondern wie Vaux-le-Vicomte oder Maisons-Laffitte auch im Pavillonsystem errichtet wurden. In der Kunstgeschichte werden insbesondere die Gartenfassaden zwar häufig als überwältigend in ihrer Wirkung, aber auch als eintönig beschrieben, Colbert nannte das Schloss einen „Mann mit großen Armen und einem dicken Kopf.“ Der Herzog Saint-Simon bezeichnete den Kontrast der Baustile als „schönes und häßliches, das zusammengenäht wurde“ und über das hinter der Attika verborgene Flachdach schrieb er „man glaubt einen abgebrannten Palast zu sehen, dem das obere Stockwerk und das Dach fehlen.“ Die Kapelle wurde als Riesenkatafalk verspottet und Voltaire bezeichnete sie als einen „erstaunlichen Firlefanz“.

 

Zur Zeit Ludwigs XV. wurde eine als grand dessin bezeichnete Neugestaltung der Stadtseite im Stil des Klassizismus erwogen. Die alten Fassaden dort sollten, den Gartenfassaden ähnlich, mit Haustein überbaut werden. Auch war über dem Hauptgebäude eine Kuppel geplant. Die Leitung dieses Projekts übernahm Ange-Jacques Gabriel. Letztlich erfolgte aus finanziellen Gründen jedoch ab 1771 nur der Umbau eines zu dieser Zeit baufälligen, stadtwärts gerichteten Trakts, der seit jener Zeit Gabrielflügel genannt wird. Der Pavillon des gegenüberliegenden Gebäudes, des Dufourflügels, wurde erst um 1820 angepasst und die Symmetrie der Hoffassade knapp ein halbes Jahrhundert nach Beginn der Umbauarbeiten halbwegs wiederhergestellt. Die parallel gegenüberstehenden Gebäudeteile tragen noch heute verschiedene Fassadenstile. 1780 durch Étienne-Louis Boullée vorgelegte Pläne zu einer vollständigen Neugestaltung des Schlosses im Sinne der Revolutionsarchitektur wurden nicht realisiert.

 

Symbolik und Kosten

 

Symbolik des Schlosses

 

Neben der offensichtlichen Zurschaustellung von Luxus und Reichtum diente das Schloss auch einer subtileren Darstellung des Ruhms und der Macht des Königtums. Die unter Ludwig XIV. angelegten Staatsräume und Säle verherrlichen den Sonnenkönig. Die Dekoration des Stucks und die Themen der Gemälde sind auf seine wirtschaftlichen und politischen Erfolge abgestimmt und künden von seinen Feldzügen und Siegen.[ Eine große Rolle nahmen außerdem die römische und die griechische Mythologie ein, mit deren Motiven die oberen Gesellschaftsschichten des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts wohlvertraut waren. Die Mythologie wurde als Gleichnis eingesetzt und Ludwig XIV. wiederholt als Gott Apollon dargestellt, was der Hofgesellschaft zahlreiche Interpretationen ermöglichte. Die Darstellung als antiker Gott der Sonne und des Lichts verlieh Ludwig XIV. zudem die Aura eines mystischen, höchsten Wesens, ohne zugleich mit der Kirche in Widerspruch zu geraten – denn den Rang des Königs mit dem christlichen Gott gleichzusetzen, war auch im absolutistischen, aber immer noch katholisch geprägten Frankreich unmöglich und wäre einem Sakrileg gleichgekommen. Der Vergleich mit Apollon dagegen bekräftigte seinen Ruf als Sonnenkönig.

 

Kosten und Finanzierung

 

Obwohl der französische Haushaltsplan immense Ausgaben für das Schloss vorsah, war das Geld in Versailles immer knapp und die Bauphasen konnten nur in den Friedenszeiten zwischen den Reunionskriegen vorangetrieben werden. Nachdem Ludwig XIV. den Pfälzischen Erbfolgekrieg begonnen hatte, musste er 1689 sogar das berühmte Silbermobiliar der Spiegelgalerie verkaufen und einschmelzen, um die Kriegsausgaben zu bestreiten. Viele geplante Bauvorhaben, wie der oben beschriebene Umbau der Stadtfassaden, konnten aus Kostengründen nicht in Angriff genommen werden. Fast alle Aufträge wurden ausgeschrieben, Voranschläge unbedingt eingehalten und die Armee in Friedenszeiten zu Bauarbeiten herangezogen. Der Sonnenkönig selbst sagte: „… am liebsten wird mir immer alles sein, was möglichst schön ist und wenig kostet“. Was den meisten Betrachtern als unglaublicher Luxus erschien, war in Wirklichkeit so kostengünstig wie nur möglich gebaut, was zur Folge hatte, dass die Kamine oft nicht zogen, die Fenster nicht richtig schlossen und das Leben dort im Winter sehr unkomfortabel war.

 

Bereits zwischen 1661 und 1663 waren mehr als 1.500.000 Livres für das Schloss ausgegeben worden. Der erste Bau Ludwigs XIII. hatte insgesamt gerade einmal 300.000 Livres verbraucht, wovon 213.000 auf das Schloss verwendet und weitere 82.000 für die Gärten benötigt wurden. Im Zeitraum von 1664 bis 1688 wurde jährlich durchschnittlich eine Million Livres in Versailles verbaut. Der französische Staatshaushalt verfügte in den 1680er Jahren über ein Budget von etwa 110 Millionen Livres, wovon Ludwig nach dem Frieden von Nimwegen 15 Millionen für seine Bautätigkeiten genehmigt bekam. Bis zum Tode des Sonnenkönigs sollen 300 Millionen Livres in die Versailler Schlösser, den Park, die Ausstattung und den Unterhalt geflossen sein. Fünfzig bis sechzig Millionen allein für das Mobiliar und zwei Millionen für den Bau des Eure-Kanals. Bescheiden nimmt sich dagegen die Leibpension für die bei Unfällen verstorbenen Arbeiter aus, deren Familien im Schnitt 40 bis 100 Livres als Hinterbliebenenrente erhielten.

 

Die Trianonschlösser und der Weiler

 

Im Park von Versailles befinden sich mehrere Lustschlösser: das Grand Trianon, das Petit Trianon sowie das Hameau de la Reine (deutsch: Weiler der Königin).

 

Das weitläufige Gartenschloss Grand Trianon (großes Trianon) oder Trianon de marbre (Marmor-Trianon) stammt noch aus der Zeit Ludwigs XIV. Es war ursprünglich dem König und seiner Familie vorbehalten, doch im Laufe der Jahre wurde es auch dem weiteren Hofstaat zugänglich gemacht. Das benachbarte Petit Trianon (kleines Trianon) ist ein Werk, das Ludwig XV. für seine Mätresse Madame de Pompadour erbauen ließ. Diese starb jedoch vor der Vollendung des kleinen, klassizistischen Schlösschens. Nachdem sein Nachfolger Ludwig XVI. es Marie-Antoinette geschenkt hatte, wurde es durch sie prunkvoll ausgestattet und ein neuer Gartenbereich angelegt, in dem auch ein kleines Theater seinen Platz fand. Die Königin ließ sich hier zudem, einer damaligen Mode folgend, ein künstliches Dorf, den so genannten Weiler der Königin mit augenscheinlich windschiefen Häusern errichten, die aber in Wirklichkeit prunkvolle Dekoration für die Schäferspiele der Herrscherin waren.

 

All diese Gebäude wurden eine halbe Fußstunde entfernt vom Hauptschloss errichtet, um den Königen Entspannung und Erholung abseits des überfüllten Palastes zu bieten. Versailles war zudem in ein ganzes Netzwerk von kleineren Schlössern eingebunden. Noch im Ort selbst befand sich das Schloss Clagny, welches Madame de Montespan gewidmet war (und bereits 1769 der Spitzhacke zum Opfer fiel), und nur eine halbe Wegstunde zu Pferde entfernt befand sich das Schloss von Marly, das mit seinen Gärten und Wasserspielen zu den berühmtesten Lustschlössern des ausgehenden 17. Jahrhunderts gehörte. Ebenfalls in Reichweite lagen die königlichen Residenzen Saint-Germain-en-Laye und Saint-Cloud.

 

Geschichtlicher Überblick

 

17. und 18. Jahrhundert: Das Ancien Régime

 

Die Residenz des Sonnenkönigs und seiner Nachfolger

 

Frankreich war im 17. Jahrhundert der mächtigste Staat Europas und unter dem Wirken des Sonnenkönigs zum kulturellen, wirtschaftlichen und politischen Zentrum des Kontinents geworden. Das Schloss des Königs war ein Ausdruck der Leistungsfähigkeit Frankreichs und ein Symbol seiner Größe und Stärke. Die geordnete Natur der Parkanlagen war ein Spiegelbild der Ordnung, die Ludwig XIV. dem Land brachte.

 

Nachdem er als Kind die Gefahr der Fronde in Paris am eigenen Leib erleben musste, konnte sich der König nie für die französische Hauptstadt begeistern, er liebte dagegen das kleine Jagdschloss seines Vaters. Dort konnte er einen angemessen repräsentativen und weitläufigen neuen Palast erbauen, der zudem so im engen Paris undenkbar gewesen wäre. Der Entschluss, den Hof 1682 aus dem Palais du Louvre und dem Tuilerienpalast sowie dem bis 1682 zumeist bewohnten Schloss Saint-Germain-en-Laye hierher zu verlegen, sollte Frankreichs Geschichte für viele Jahre prägen. Hier vollendete Ludwig XIV. den Regierungsstil, den man später als Absolutismus bezeichnete. Der König wollte weitere Aufstände wie die Fronde verhindern, er schnitt die Aristokratie von ihrer alten Aufgabe der Provinzverwaltung ab und setzte Beamte dafür ein, die Mitglieder des Adels wurden dagegen an den Hof geholt. Eine mögliche Opposition aus der Ferne gegen ihn, wie sie zum Beispiel seinem Vater widerfuhr, wurde somit erschwert. Die Angehörigen des Adels wurden politisch entmachtet und im Gegenzug mit kostbaren Geschenken und prunkvollen Festen entschädigt. Der einst mächtige hohe Adel Frankreichs verließ bereitwillig seine Schlösser in den Provinzen, nur wenige konnten es sich leisten, dauerhaft eigene Hofgesellschaften zu unterhalten. Um auf der Höhe der Zeit zu sein und den neuesten Moden des Hofes folgen zu können, verschuldeten sich die Aristokraten oder erhielten willkürliche Renten vom König.

 

Eine Wohnung in Versailles zugewiesen zu bekommen, war ein bedeutendes Privileg, das zudem die Illusion vermittelte, im Zentrum der Macht an der Regierung beteiligt zu sein. Wer zu den Logeants, den im Schloss Wohnenden gehörte, stand im Rang über den Galopins, den Kutschierenden, die Abends zurück in ihre Stadtwohnungen nach Paris mussten. Innerhalb des Hoflebens übernahm das Hofzeremoniell eine bedeutende Rolle; im Prinzip unbedeutende Hofämter standen symbolisch für politischen Einfluss. Lediglich bei Hofe konnten Posten, Titel und Ämter errungen werden, und wer sich vom Sonnenkönig distanzierte, lief Gefahr, Vorrechte und Rang zu verlieren. Aus diesem Grund hielt sich die Aristokratie so gut wie ständig um ihren König auf und versuchte, ihm gefällig zu sein. Das sorgte dafür, dass zeitweise mehrere Tausend Menschen zugleich das Schloss bewohnten.

 

Für die französische Gesellschaft bedeutete der Wandel des Zweiten Standes vom Land- zum Hofadel auf Dauer eine schwere Belastung. Von ihren alten Pflichten und Aufgaben weitgehend entbunden, fristete der französische Adel bald ein dekadentes Dasein. Während der Dritte Stand die Steuerlast und die Arbeit zu tragen hatte, konnte – beziehungsweise musste – sich der Adel dem Müßiggang hingeben. Dieser Umstand sollte über hundert Jahre später einer der Auslöser der Französischen Revolution werden.

 

Leben im Schloss

 

Ludwig XIV. führte einen streng geregelten Tagesablauf, beginnend mit dem Lever (ca. 8 Uhr), einem feierlichen Staatsakt, dem Dutzende Familienangehörige und Mitglieder des Hofstaats beiwohnen mussten, ferner auswärtige Besucher und Gesandte sowie besonders auszuzeichnende Persönlichkeiten, die der König selbst täglich aussuchte. Es folgte die Arbeit im Kabinett (ca. 2 Stunden). Der ganze Tag war vom Hofzeremoniell durchgetaktet, dazu gehörten Jagden und Ausfahrten sowie Besuche und Theateraufführungen. Zu diesen Anlässen war er zu jeder Zeit von Würdenträgern umgeben. Zur späten Stunde wurde ein Hofball abgehalten. Gunstbeweise verteilte er durch Gewährung kleiner zeremonieller Aufgaben oder Vorrechte, er gestattete oder entzog Einzelnen die Teilnahme an bestimmten Zeremonien oder Festlichkeiten und wusste auf diese Weise den gesamten französischen Adel meisterhaft zu beherrschen und in Schach zu halten.

 

Nach dem Tode Ludwigs XIV. 1715 und der Regentschaft Philipp II. im Namen von Ludwig XV., der zu dieser Zeit noch ein Kind war, verließ der Hof den riesigen Palast und begab sich bis 1723 nach Paris, wo die Adligen sich aber vom Hof des Regenten im Palais Royal (oder auf seinem Schloss Saint-Cloud) teilweise fernhielten und stattdessen ihre eigenen Salons in ihren Hôtels particuliers im Marais oder im Faubourg Saint-Germain führten. Unter den Nachfolgern des Sonnenkönigs verlor Versailles seine umfassende zentralistische Bedeutung und die Gesellschaft traf sich nun zunehmend auch wieder in den Landschlössern des Adels oder den Pariser Hôtels. Dennoch residierten auch Ludwig XV. und Ludwig XVI. in Versailles, so dass das Schloss ab 1682 nur mit kurzen Unterbrechungen fast ständig von der Königsfamilie bewohnt war. Obwohl öfter Ausflüge in die vielen weiteren Schlösser rund um Paris unternommen wurden, blieb Versailles immer Regierungssitz und Mittelpunkt des höfischen Frankreichs.

 

Am Ende des Ancien Régime umfasste der Hofstaat rund 10.000 Personen, von denen bis zu 5.000 direkt im Schloss lebten. Die eigentlichen Höflinge machten davon rund 1.000 Personen aus, hinzu kamen Kammerfrauen, Köche, Leibwachen und andere Bedienstete. Der Palast war eine Stadt unter einem großen Dach, mit Wohnungen, Arbeitsräumen und Vergnügungsstätten. Auf den Gängen und Höfen ließen sich Händler nieder. Das Schloss war fast ständig überbelegt, und die Aristokratie, so sie nicht zur königlichen Familie gehörte, war zum Teil verarmt und hauste sogar in den engen Dachkammern der oberen Geschosse oder im benachbarten Grand Commun, da Ludwig XIV. seiner Ehre wegen jedem einen Schlafplatz bieten wollte. Victor Hugo bezeichnete das Schloss später als eine einzige Höflingskaserne. Der Palast war nicht allein dem Adel vorbehalten: Zugang hatte auch das gewöhnliche Volk, die Neugierigen wurden von den Bewohnern als Voyeux bezeichnet. Je höher der Rang des Besuchers war, desto weiter durfte er in das Innere des Schlosses gelangen. Der englische Reisende Arthur Young berichtete in seiner Schrift Reise durch Frankreich in den Jahren 1787, 1788, 1789 und 1792 über Versailles: „Es war höchst belustigend, wenn Strolche in den ärmlichsten Lumpen unbeobachtet durch den Palast […] spazierten.“ Der freie Zugang zum Schloss bedeutete jedoch nicht zugleich Kontakt mit den hier lebenden Personen. Wer als Bittsteller kam oder auf ein Amt hoffte, musste offiziell bei Hofe vorgestellt werden, wozu man neben einem verbrieften Titel üblicherweise die Fürsprache eines bereits etablierten Höflings benötigte. Als etabliert galt, wer über eines der zahlreichen käuflichen Hofämter verfügte, die, je nach Bedeutung des Amts, vom König oder dem Haushofmeister vergeben wurden.

 

Trotz der prunkvollen Ausstattung war Versailles ein unkomfortables Schloss. Die en filade gereihten, zugigen und hohen Räume ließen sich schlecht heizen, und Madame de Maintenon beklagte, „man erträgt lieber die Zugluft durch die Türen […], man muss in Symmetrie zugrunde gehen“. Im strengen Winter 1709 platzten sogar Likörflaschen durch die Kälte. Die große Spiegelgalerie besaß keine Kamine, und auch das zentrale Schlafzimmer Ludwigs XIV. war so kalt, dass Ludwig XV. ein privates Schlafzimmer im Nordtrakt des Corps de Logis einrichten ließ, das er nach der Zeremonie des Coucher zum Schlafen aufsuchte und morgens rechtzeitig zum Lever wieder verließ.

 

Es gab, wie damals in ganz Europa üblich, im Schloss weder fließendes Wasser noch fest installierte Toiletten. Man verrichtete die Notdurft in Leibstühle und Nachttöpfe, deren Inhalte von der Dienerschaft in bis zu 29 Sickergruben in der Umgebung des Schlosses ausgeleert wurden. Ludwig XVI. ließ sich Frankreichs erstes Wasserklosett mit Toilettenspülung einbauen. Das Schloss hatte wiederholt mit Ratten- und Mäuseplagen zu kämpfen und einmal jährlich begab sich der Hof nach Fontainebleau, damit der Versailler Palast in dieser Zeit von Grund auf gereinigt werden konnte. Der Körperpflege wurde im 17. Jahrhundert zwar noch kein übermäßiger Stellenwert zugeschrieben, doch bereits Ludwig XIV. ließ sich im Untergeschoss des Corps de Logis mehrere Zimmer umfassende Badegemächer einrichten. Im Laufe des 18. Jahrhunderts fanden sich auch zunehmend Baderäume in den Appartements der königlichen Familienmitglieder, während sich die übrigen Schlossbewohner weiterhin mit feuchten Tüchern und Waschschüsseln behelfen mussten.

 

Die Versorgung des Hofstaats mit Nahrungsmitteln und Getränken beschäftigte eine Anzahl von mehreren hundert Angestellten. Die Mitglieder der königlichen Familie und Höflinge von hohem Rang wurden als commensaux, als Tischgenossen des Königs betrachtet und aus seiner Küche versorgt.[80] Verschiedene Höflinge hatten die Verpflichtung, offene Tafeln zur Verkostung weiterer Schlossbewohner zu halten, andere Hofangestellte erhielten für ihre bouche eine finanzielle Entschädigung, mussten sich um die Versorgung allerdings selbst kümmern. Die Mahlzeiten stammten zum Teil aus den Wirtshäusern in der Umgebung des Schlosses, zum Teil aus selbst organisierten Küchen, von denen sich im Laufe der Zeit immer mehr in den Höfen und unter den Dächern des Schlosses einfanden.

 

Das Leben bei Hof bedeutete Verzicht auf Privatsphäre. Die Königsfamilie nahm selbst gewöhnliche Mahlzeiten vor Publikum ein und auch die Niederkünfte der Königinnen waren innerhalb der Hofgesellschaft traditionell öffentliche Ereignisse – so sehr, dass Marie-Antoinette während der Geburt ihres ersten Kindes in Lebensgefahr geriet, als sich zu viele Menschen in ihrem Schlafzimmer aufhielten. Schon unter den Vorgängern des Sonnenkönigs gab es strenge Riten zur Verherrlichung der französischen Herrscher, doch um das Schloss Versailles und Ludwig XIV. wurde eine beispiellose Abfolge von Zeremonien entwickelt. Die Etikette regelte und beschrieb jeden Vorgang, von großen Festlichkeiten und Empfängen bis hin zu so alltäglichen Dingen wie dem Mittagsmahl. Auch für den Fall von Krankheit und Tod gab es vorgeschriebene Regeln, und als Ludwig XV. 1774 im Trianon an den Pocken erkrankte, wurde er eilig ins Versailler Schloss gebracht, um dort unter den Augen des Hofs zu sterben. Die Bedeutung dieses Systems kann heute nicht mehr annähernd nachvollzogen werden. Dem König widerfuhr eine nahezu göttliche Verehrung und entrückte diesen, durchaus beabsichtigt, vom Volk und unterstrich seine übergeordnete Stellung. Dem König zu dienen bedeutete, Frankreich zu dienen. Ihm beim Aufstehen, beim Lever behilflich zu sein, ihm einfach nur das Wasser oder das Hemd zu reichen, galt als allergrößte Ehre, die über Aufstieg und Fall bei Hofe entscheiden konnte. Ob man in der Gegenwart des Königs stehen, sitzen oder sprechen durfte und selbst durch welche Tür man sein Schlafzimmer betrat, war ein für alle Anwesenden sichtbares Zeichen des eigenen Rangs. Ludwig XIV. schrieb in seinen Memoiren „Im übrigen ist es eine der hervorragendsten Wirkungen unserer Macht, einer Sache, die an sich keinen Wert hat, einen unbezahlbaren Preis zuzuordnen.“

 

Die Etikette galt nicht nur im Umgang mit dem König, sondern auch für jeden Herzog, jeden Prinzen, jeden Höfling. Das Protokoll regelte den Umgang miteinander und wies jedem Mitglied des Hofs einen für alle sichtbaren Platz innerhalb dieser Gesellschaft zu. Das uralte System der höfischen Etikette wurde auch unter den Nachfolgern des Sonnenkönigs kaum verändert. Ein Beispiel für das streng geregelte Hofzeremoniell ist folgende Anekdote, die durch Madame Campan, die Kammerfrau der Königin überliefert wurde und die Marie-Antoinettes Alltag im Schloss beschrieb:

 

„Das Lever der Königin vollzog sich analog dem Lever des Königs. Die Hofdame vom Dienst hatte das Recht, der Königin beim Ankleiden das Hemd zu reichen. Die Palastdame zog ihr den Unterrock und das Kleid an. Kam aber zufällig eine Prinzessin der königlichen Familie dazu, so stand dieser das Recht zu, der Königin das Hemd überzuwerfen. Einmal also war die Königin gerade von ihren Damen ganz ausgekleidet worden. Ihre Kammerfrau hielt das Hemd und hatte es soeben der Hofdame präsentiert, als die Herzogin von Orléans eintrat. Die Hofdame gab das Hemd der Kammerfrau zurück, die es gerade der Herzogin übergeben wollte, als die ranghöhere Gräfin von Provence dazukam. Nun wanderte das Hemd wieder zu der Kammerfrau zurück, und erst aus den Händen der Gräfin von Provence empfing es endlich die Königin. Sie hatte die ganze Zeit nackt, wie Gott sie geschaffen hat, dabeistehen und zusehen müssen, wie die Damen sich mit ihrem Hemd überkomplimentierten.“

 

– Madame Campan

 

Die französische Revolution

 

Am 5. Mai 1789 traten im Grande Salle des Menus Plaisirs die Generalstände zusammen. Damit begann die konstitutionelle Phase der Französischen Revolution. Der König, dem nach der Verfassung die Einberufung und Entlassung der Generalstände zustand, ließ den Sitzungssaal aus politischen Gründen schließen. Die Abgeordneten des Dritten Standes, die sich mittlerweile zur Nationalversammlung erklärt hatten, zogen sich darauf in das außerhalb des Schlossgeländes liegende Ballhaus zurück. Dort leisteten sie am 20. Juni den Ballhausschwur „… sich niemals zu trennen, bis der Staat eine Verfassung hat …“.

 

Ludwig XVI. und Marie-Antoinette bewohnten das Schloss samt ihrer Familie und dem Hofstaat bis zum 5. Oktober 1789. An diesem Tag stürmten die Poissarden das Schloss und zwangen den König und seine Familie tags darauf, Versailles für immer zu verlassen und nach Paris in den Tuilerien-Palast zu ziehen. Das Schloss wurde von den Revolutionären in den folgenden Jahren zum Teil geplündert und stand weitgehend leer.

 

Das 19. Jahrhundert

 

Nach der Revolution

 

Nach der Revolution konnte das Schloss nur notdürftig erhalten werden. Napoléon erwog, den Palast wieder als Residenz herzurichten, doch wurden die Pläne nie umgesetzt und der Kaiser der Franzosen begnügte sich damit, das Grand Trianon für Wohnzwecke umzugestalten. Seit der Regierung Louis-Philippes I. dagegen wurden die Räume des Schlosses wiederhergestellt, sowie ein historisches Nationalmuseum eingerichtet und mit Büsten, Porträts, Schlachtenbildern und anderen Kunstwerken von vorwiegend historischem Wert ausgeschmückt (darunter Meisterwerke von Horace Vernet, Eugène Delacroix, Ary Scheffer, Adolphe Yvon, James Pradier). In dieser Epoche wurden große Veränderungen im Nord- und Südflügel vorgenommen, Museumsräume in den ehemaligen Appartements eingerichtet und der große Schlachtensaal und die sogenannten Kreuzfahrer- und die Afrikasäle installiert. In diesen historistischen Museumsräumen wurden die französische und die europäische Geschichte thematisiert.

 

Der Gartenarchitekt Gabriel Thouin präsentierte 1820 in seinem Werk Plans raisonnés de toutes les espèces de jardins einen Vorschlag zur teilweisen Umgestaltung und Einbettung des (im Kernbereich geometrisch belassenen) Schlossparks in einen noch größeren Landschaftsgarten, der jedoch nicht umgesetzt wurde. Der deutsche Gartenarchitekt Peter Joseph Lenné wurde bei seinen Entwürfen durch den Plan Thouins beeinflusst.

 

Zweite Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts

 

Eine besondere Bedeutung gewann das Schloss für die deutsch-französische Geschichte. Vom 5. Oktober 1870 bis 13. März 1871 war es im Deutsch-Französischen Krieg Sitz des großen Hauptquartiers der deutschen Armeen. Im Spiegelsaal des Schlosses fand am 18. Januar 1871 mit der Ausrufung König Wilhelms I. von Preußen zum deutschen Kaiser Wilhelm I. die Gründung des Deutschen Reiches statt. Dieser Ort war im Sinn einer historischen Gerechtigkeit ausgewählt worden, da viele Deckengemälde die Feldzüge und Eroberungen Ludwigs XIV. in Deutschland verherrlichten. Die besiegten Franzosen hingegen sahen in dem Akt jedoch nur eine Demütigung ihres Königtums.

 

Die Friedenspräliminarien wurden am 26. Februar 1871 in Versailles unterzeichnet. Am 10. März 1871 verlegte die Nationalversammlung den Regierungssitz von Bordeaux nach Versailles; erst 1879 wurde er wieder nach Paris verlegt. Seit der Dritten Republik trat der Kongress des Parlaments in Versailles zusammen. Für diesen Zweck wurde ein Kongresssaal in den mittleren Lichthof des Südflügels eingebaut. Von 1879 bis 1953 wurden hier die Präsidenten der Republik gemeinsam von Abgeordneten und Senatoren gewählt. Auch heute tritt der Kongress bei Verfassungsänderungen zur Unterstreichung deren Bedeutsamkeit hier zusammen, das Schloss selbst dient oft als Ort von Staatsempfängen.

 

Das 20. Jahrhundert und die Gegenwart

 

Vom Versailler Vertrag zur Nachkriegszeit

 

Nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg wurde der Friedensvertrag, den das unterlegene deutsche Reich 1919 unterschreiben musste, im Versailler Schloss verhandelt. Die Franzosen wählten den Ort als Revanche für die Kaiserproklamation von 1871. Im Grand Trianon wurde der Vertrag von Trianon ausgehandelt. Die Bedingungen des Versailler Vertrages, die Deutschland eine Alleinschuld am Krieg anlasteten, werden als eine der Ursachen für den politischen Aufstieg der Nationalsozialisten betrachtet. Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg wurden Versailles und sein Schloss eine Stätte der deutsch-französischen Aussöhnung. Davon zeugten auch die Feierlichkeiten anlässlich der 40. Wiederkehr der Unterzeichnung des Élysée-Vertrages vom 22. Januar 1963 (2003) in der Schlachtengalerie.

 

Am 26. Juni 1978 verübten bretonische Separatisten einen Sprengstoffanschlag auf das Schloss, das ihrer Meinung nach als Symbol für den französischen Zentralismus stand. Nach 2:00 Uhr nachts explodierte ein Sprengsatz, der die Einrichtung in drei Sälen vollständig zerstörte und in sieben anderen schwere Verwüstungen anrichtete. Der entstandene Sachschaden wurde auf fünf Millionen Francs geschätzt. 1979 erfolgte die Aufnahme in die Liste des UNESCO-Weltkulturerbes. 1982 diente das Schloss als Kulisse für den Weltwirtschaftsgipfel der G7.

 

Das Schloss heute

 

Das Schloss mit seinen Gartenanlagen, Museen und Parkschlössern ist für Besucher geöffnet und zugleich das meistbesuchte Schloss Frankreichs, es zählt damit zu den größten Touristenmagneten des Landes. Rund um den Palast, seine Pflege und Verwaltung sind um die 900 Personen beschäftigt. Versailles samt seiner Museen wird von einer staatlichen Betreibergesellschaft geführt. Von 2002 bis 2007 war die spätere französische Kulturministerin Christine Albanel Geschäftsführerin des Établissement public de Versailles, ihre Amtszeit stand in der Kritik, da Albanel keine kunstwissenschaftliche Erfahrung besaß und ihr zeitweise ein Ausverkauf des französischen Nationaldenkmals vorgeworfen wurde. Gegenwärtiger Geschäftsführer ist Jean-Jacques Aillagon.

 

Für die Besichtigung der verschiedenen Museen, der Sonderausstellungen und der Gartenanlagen wird ein Eintrittsgeld verlangt, EU-Bürger unter 26 Jahren und Behinderte sind davon ausgenommen. Aufgrund der weltweiten Bekanntheit von Versailles gehören Schloss und Gärten für viele Frankreich- und Paris-Touristen zum Pflichtprogramm, im Jahr 2022 wurden fast 7 Millionen Besucher gezählt. Gäste müssen unter Umständen mit langen Warteschlangen an den Kassen, besonders im Sommer und an den Wochenenden, rechnen.

 

In der Schlossanlage und den Gärten fanden und finden zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts umfangreiche Restaurierungsarbeiten statt, die bis heute (2022) andauern. Für das Projekt stellte die Regierung unter Jacques Chirac 2003 rund 390 Millionen Euro zur Verfügung. In einem ersten Abschnitt wurden u. a. die Deckengemälde im Spiegelsaal restauriert, die im Juni 2007 fertiggestellt und der Öffentlichkeit übergeben wurden. Andere fundamentale Etappen der Restaurierungskampagne waren das Bassin de Latone und einige Boskette im Park sowie Dachstuhl, Fenster und das Äußere der Schlosskapelle (Chapelle Royale). Letztere wurde im April 2021 fertiggestellt.

 

Während der Olympischen Sommerspiele 2024 in Paris wurden auf den Außenanlagen des Schlosses die Reitsportwettbewerbe sowie die Entscheidungen im Modernen Fünfkampf ausgetragen.

 

(Wikipedia)

Acolyte

 

The Prologue:

Julie had come alone. Having missed her ride with a friend to deal with some pressing servant related issues, she had taken her father’s roadster out and had driven the curving, often bumpy road into the city by herself. Parking it, she had made her way to where the festivities were already in full swing.

She now stood at upstairs entrance, allowing herself a minute to unwind from her driving to breathlessly take it all in. As she stood to one side, allowing the swarming mass of guests to pass uninhibited by her as they headed downstairs to the party chambers below, her eyes grew wide with the splendor below.

Julie still possessed some of the awkwardness of youth, and it showed by the way she carried herself. From her constantly gawking eyes, to her nervously moving hands, down to the high heels on her feet that occasionally still tripped her up as she walked. But despite all that, she still managed to present a total picture of elegance and grace, the result of years of etiquette being forced down her pretty throat.

Now, anyone down below who happened looked up at the entrance, would have given Julie a second look, and they did.

With that second look the following would have been taken in; long brown hair hung down in silken masses past her shoulders. The hair framed an oval face, with large, innocently wide, eyes, heavy with the mascara that always gave her face a perpetually surprised look. Resplendent in a long soft gown that seemed to pour down forever over her quite perky youthful figure, a purple satin sheet of flowing liquid, broken only by the black bolero jacket with its shimmering ornament. The hem of her gown almost covered the pointed toes of her coal black high heeled shoes.

A diamond necklace blazed in rippling fire hung from Julie’s throat, its brilliance matched by the long diamond earrings that peeked in and out as they swayed vibrantly, like a twin beacons. A sparkling diamond brooch with swinging sapphire’s that matched the colour of Julies eyes , had been placed high on one side of her black satin bolero styled jacket. She wore no gloves, and her bare fingers were home to a rather lively assortment of gem encrusted rings.

Soon two ladies also broke away from the crowd and joined Julie in her observation, as they commented to one another about the scene below. They then asking Julie if she agreed, as if the strangers and she were old acquaintances, Julie gave them both the once over as she reluctantly agreed with them.

Both Ladies were red heads, although the younger one, with pretty hazel eyes, was more of a ginger ( like Julies maid), Julie finished giving both a swift appraisal before turning her attention back to the crowd, looking for an opening to make her escape. The ginger, a young miss stunning in a gown of deep green brocaded satin with silken emerald frills, apologized for the intrusion, then let out a small squeal, commenting on how adorable Julie’s jacket was, as she lifted it up, of Jules of Paris( Pariee is how she pronounced it), and your gown, it’s of the house of Yevonne, is it not, the young lady asked? No Julie said, starting to shake her head, which made her earrings sparkle even more erratically, as the other lady continued admiring Julie’s satin jacket, momentarily covering the bright brooch from view. At the same time the other lady, a bit older ,becomingly clad in a fine gown of red wine colured Taffeta, placed a hand on Julies other shoulder, asking the now disconcerted girl if she knew how late the orchestra was playing, Julie continued shaking her head, as she looked into the older lady’s deep green eyes, mesmerized as they just oozed kindness , No, sorry ma’am she answered obediently . The younger one finished her admiration of Julie’s s attire by patted Julie’s shoulder, well nice meeting you, and with a cheerful tootles, both women left, melting ahead into the crowd.

Julie watched them for a few seconds as the pair swished downstairs, straightening her jacket as she did. Suddenly all thoughts of the two ladies were pulled from her mind as she realized something was amiss. It took her but a second to realize the brooch her maid had pinned onto her jacket was now absent. Bother she said under her breath as she looked around her on the empty floor, it must have fallen off in the roadster! Under her breath she chastised both the roadster, and the road, remembering the way the vehicle had lurched to and fro on the bumpy roadway in her haste to reach the city. She must have words with that maid of hers for not fastening it properly, that brooch was simply too valuable for her to be so careless... Julie then puts the brooch out of her mind; she decides she will have the maid search the roadster for it in the morning.

And she makes her way out into the stream of guests and begins her descent, carefully as her high heeled feet negotiate the stairs…..

***

The Tale

Dazzling!

This was the word that best described the vision enclosed within the massive chamber that evening. Filled wall to wall with a seemingly endless swarm of guests, presenting an endless sea of colourfully be gowned, be gloved, and bejeweled ladies, escorted by a small army of tuxedoed and top hatted male chaperones. The crème del a crème of the huge cities finest citizens were there, displaying a good portion of what their all the hard cold pounds and guineas could buy.

The guests had entered via a large double stair case that led down into the sub street level chamber. On the east end was a mammoth stage, which stood about 4 feet above the dance floor, easily holding the 30 piece orchestra with room to spare. The music that was played was as diverse as the guests in attendance, appealing to every age group present.

Couples and singles milled about talking merrily, just a low murmur heard just below the music. A jazz number was being played and a number of the “young bright ones” were on the floor dancing earnestly with various random moves.

A stream of fresh guests had entered, making their way downstairs, gaining the attention of a few of those already in attendance. Jewels sparkled radiantly as many a satin gloved hand was raised in greeting, many a female head was turned to point out someone they could spread gossip about, and in the process exposing a multitude of jeweles in various sparkling colours.

One of those newcomers, a raven haired, black eyed woman with a dark features, possessing an almost feline like beauty, came onto the upstairs landing. She was probably aged in her mid-twenties, surprisingly alone and unescorted. She was waved to by no one, pointed out to by many. Looking around she suddenly spied something down below that made her smile, a wide Cheshire cat like grin that quickly spread across her wickedly pretty face. She scurried down the stairs, pushing, not gently, a young miss in in a purple satin gown and black jacket, who had been moving slowly ahead of her, wobbling in her high heels, the poor girl fell against the wall, clutching it for support with well ringed fingers.

The raven haired beauty parted several more pairs of guests as she made her way down, moving too slow for her, without a word of apology. At the middle landing, she shoved her way past a pair of ladies, moving slowly as they regarded the pretty scene being played out below in the well lite chamber. One was red head wearing a tailored wine coloured taffeta gown that made a swishing noise as the lady passed, and her companion, about the same age as the intruder, (a kid sister, or cousin of taffeta gown?) was dressed in gown of deep green brocaded satin with silken emerald frills, her long hair done up in a high bun, held by dangling rows of rhinestone ropes. She looked at the lady who was unexpectedly cutting between them, but said nothing; as the lady paid neither one no never mind. The raven haired lady continues down, and still never uttering a word or wearing even the slightest look of apology, trips up yet another lady, clad in a long pure white satin gown, with emerald bracelets dangling from her white gloved wrists, who actually had started to fall, and would have if the pair of red headed ladies in wine and emerald gowns had not caught and steadied her, and in the process an emerald bracelet is lost to sight.

The raven haired, dark beauty finally landed onto the chamber floor and began snaking through the crowd, licking her vibrant red lips as her eyes darted about searching for any distractions to avoid keeping her from her selected designation, (and prey)! Her long thin figure was sleekly covered by a lengthy body-hugging black satin sheath, her heavy mascara, and long flowing hair matching the dress. She wore opera length satin gloves, red as her lips. Her jewels were all white diamonds, earrings, necklaces bracelets, and a large brooch hanging from the low cut of her gowns neckline. She wore a number of fancy rings, one of which was a large diamond cocktail ring on her left hand, while her right, gripping a red satin clutch purse, was home to 3 smaller versions of the same ring. She slowed down suddenly, and opening the purse pulled out a long telescoping holder, and opening a gold (14k) case extracted a long white cigarette and inserted it.

She than bee lined and circled around, flanking a young miss wearing(limply) a long pretty satin dress of pink coral, white pearls hanging expensively down from her ears and neckline. She wore white wrist length satin gloves, with a diamond merrily glittering from a long slender finger on her left hand. She was talking to a rather handsome youth her own age, dapper in his tails and top hat, a precision trimmed Saxon style beard, and a face with solid Welsh features, and hazel coloured twinkling eyes. A long gold chain and fob held a solid gold engraved pocket watch to his chest (all 14 k) and he wore a ruby pin in his black ascot.

As she stole behind the back of the poor princess in coral, she gave her a venomous gaze, which quickly changed as she touched the young man on the shoulder, as he turned to her, the raven haired beauty, whose name was Lilith, eyes were now brimming with contrived admiration.

Hello darlings Lilith said, in a syrupy low voice, addressing them both, although she did not even glance at the girl. Both hoarsely said hello back, and the boy took the offered hand and kissed it, her large ring shinning, blindingly in his eyes. Would you be a dear then? She asked, waving the cigarette holder in front of his face. He obligingly lit it, and she let out a puff of smoke, aimed directly in the girls face, who started coughing Lilith smirked, panting her on the back, sorry dearie, mind if I borrow him for a bit, and she led the young gentleman away, before the pretty girl in coral and pearls could regain whatever composure she had left. Charles! Be a dear and buy me a drink please Lilith asked him, and he (with proper breeding of the titled) led her off without question, abandoning the young miss who watched them trot off with tears brimming in her blue eyes.

 

The drinks came, and Lilith sat her cigarette holder down next to them, dance with me Charles, and she took his arm and led him off to the dance floor, just as his fiancé in the coral gown and borrowed pearls had managed to catch up.

 

Charles held Lilith in his arms, as one might hold a cold blooded serpent. She moved close, appropriately hissing in his ear. Why are you wasting time with that silly Ginny creature, don’t you know her parents are about to lose all their money, and that Ginny’s only interest was in his title, and his parents fortune, silly bean. Charles looked warily at Lilith, than over at the forlorn Ginny, just standing there. He genuinely liked , maybe even loved, Ginny, even had given her a friendship ring, signifying his desire to become closer , But there were the rumors of her father being swindled of his fortune, and if his parents ever found out!. He looked back into his dance partners beady black eyes, they held a seductive fire which played immensely to his vanity. She was smiling winningly at him, she had made her selection, and although it would never show in her eyes, in the back of her devious mind, she was starting to think how the letter would go that his parents would anonymously be soon receiving concerning Ginny, the little pipsqueak, Lilith called her silently in her mind.

***

Meanwhile the pair of red haired ladies who had had the cheekiness to stop on the middle landing of the grand staircase, impeding Lilith’s progress, were now walking the perimeter of the mammoth chamber, meandering, taking in all of the sparkling and shininess of the surroundings, their eyes missing very little as they talked. The young, ginger haired one, pretty in her gown of deep green brocaded satin with silken emerald frills, seemed a little peeved about something, and her companion noticed that her grey eyes had turned a certain shade of green, always a sign of something amiss. She stopped her and asked her to please spill it out.

Oooh how I despise that witch, a seething Lydia said to her companion in the wine coloured taffeta gown, spitting out each word like a hissing cat, even Lydia’s back was arched a little like a feline. Her friend, whose longish flaming red hair was lying over her left shoulder, hanging down in a picturesque manner over her full bosom, was surprised at Lydia’s reaction. Who dear? Asked her friend, Angie. The lady in white satin Angie asked? No, spit out the usually collected Lydia, not her, she was really fuming. Angie continued, I was going to say, if it was, than taking her emerald bracelet should have been revenge enough, Angie stated, then continued. So just who are we talking about Lydia?

 

That one!, Lydia snarled, nodding her head, the witch in black who rushed through us on the stairs and went that way! Angie stopped, looking off in the direction Lydia had nodded. Oh her, she said, the one in black satin. Lydia just glared, and Angie knew she had gotten it right. She asked Lydia, does this witch have a name? Lilith! Lydia spat it out like a swear word, followed by a gushing tirade. She is a backstabbing creature who can charm any man into submission while making a girl cringe and wince with the merest of glances. She is a gold digger extraordinaire with two ex-grooms who couldn’t see her for her true colours until they had been gutted by her gilded claws!!

Really exclaimed Angie, her green eyes becoming brighter! Two of them? Yes, Lydia went on, both wealthy, both became available when their parents received anonymous poison letters about their then betrothed.

I’d give anything to knock her down a few pegs, Lydia continued through clenched teeth.

Angie mulled it over; realizing anything more she said would just add fuel to Lydia’s fire. She decided to let her simmer down on her own, and then perhaps they could get on to their business. She suggested a drink, and they moved off, passing a forlorn young lady in a limp coral coloured gown, wearing a nice display of pearls, who seemed to be staring off in the distance at something with tear filled eyes.

Skirting the dance floor, they soon attained the lounge and settled in……..

 

***************************************************

It had now been four years since Angie had taken the charmingly talented young Lydia under her wing.

She had encouraged her blossoming skills, abilities that Lydia herself had self-taught by playing games with her siblings, until she encountered a professional she could learn from. That professional had been Angie. Lydia now possessed the little dog eared ancient pamphlet that had been the secret to Angie’s success as a light fingered lady pickpocket, focusing mainly on the fine jewels worn out and about by rich girls and women in society.

 

(Please visit our albums section and peruse the various Angie Albums for more background stories on Angie and her “light fingers” the Eds.)

 

It had cost Angie a necklace to acquire the pamphlet, and it had been worth it. It had cost the younger, ginger haired Lydia her brooch and ring for a chance to do the same. Lydia caught on quickly, mastering certain moves in half the time it had taken Angie, and for which Angie gave her high praise.

 

But sadly it was now less frequently that they worked as a team, each after a time branching off on their own paths.

 

Lydia was a different creature than Angie in the respect that coming from a wealthy family she was supported, even though most of the family lands, money and titles would go to the heir, Lydia’s twin brother. For her lifting items from her wealthy friends and relations had started out as an edgy game. Now it had evolved into a challenging pastime, a trophy hunt of sorts where she collected jewels like her father collected animal relics. Some of her lesser trophies were passed onto Angie, who had the connections to dispose of them, turning them into ready pound notes.

 

Whereas Angie had been born to impoverished English parents who had immigrated to Canada. They made her, their only child, an orphan at age 6 upon their untimely deaths in an epidemic. At the crowded orphanage the nuns taught her a little about manners, how to act properly for a lady, and the rest she had learned on her own, what she needed to say to please them and avoid the “floggings” that they administered to those who refused to “fit” in. She fled the orphanage when she was 14 and forged her own, often lonely path in the years that followed. For her lifting a ladies valuables was a means of lively hood as much as it brought her thrills. And she had accomplished it all without Lydia’s advantages, which had been a pair of a willing accomplices, AKA a sister and brother, to practice on!

 

But the pair remained in constant touch and it had been at Lydia’s beckoning that Angie had met her in London a few days prior. From London they had travelled by rail to attend this once a year function, and to attend the various balls and other affairs that were the natural outgrowths of the Gala.

 

It had been an eventful journey, the train ride had proven to be even more profitable than usual for the two light fingered ladies.

 

Lydia had written Angie a letter (to Angie’s solicitor who she saw at least one a month) telling her about the upcoming gala, and how would she would like Angie to join her in for the hunt. Their plans were to attend the gala and its outgrowths, then spend a few months of the upcoming party season continuing Lydia’s education. They had met at the London station, and after checking their bags found themselves with a little time to kill before boarding. Now outside the station there was a sprawling green where several vendors had set up their wares, a haven for those possess a light fingered touch. The two ladies meandered, catching up on what had been happening in their lives since they last time they had been together.

 

Now as they walked the green, they also kept their eyes open, and it was the second time they had passed a group of small benches, across a path from where an organ grinder was performing with a pet monkey, which they stopped, giving some serious attention to something they had both glanced at the first time in passing.

 

There was a trio of young ladies by one of the benches. Later they learned the trio were three sisters awaiting for the arrival of their parents and older brother. All three wore eye catching outfits, the younger 2 siblings in silk dresses of canary yellow and butterscotch, the elder sister was in a long flowing black skirt with a glistening silver coloured ruffled satin blouse. The jewels the three were innocently wearing in public were also worth a second look. The youngest (12) wore a pretty selection of silver, the middle (14) wore gleaming pearls, their older sister and chaperone (19) was wearing gold bracelets, a fine collection of rings and (probably unwisely) an expensive sapphire brooch at her throat.

 

Now the first time they had passed the oldest was seated at a bench reading a magazine, while her siblings played on the lawn. They had stopped to watch the sisters, under the pretense of watching the crowd around the organ grinder and his monkey. They watched both groups with some interest, but were distracted when Lydia pointed out a pickpocket working the crowd across the way. Angie spotted him immediately, he was chatting to a pair of ladies wearing fashionable day gowns of shiny damask. It looked to be a wealthy mother and her younger sister. As the grey top hated gentleman thief engaged the mother in conversation, he was reaching around and gingerly lifting the silver watch of the younger sister, her attention being paid out to her two young nephews. They watched until he had pocketed the watch, his skill level about average for the type, before Lydia and Angie headed off for the far side of the green.

 

The second time around they saw that the oldest had fallen asleep, sitting on the bench and the younger two were sitting on the grass, watching the monkey from across the way. The grey top hated man who had relieved the lady of her watch, was now lurking on the scene, eyeing the two sisters sitting on the grass, their dresses splayed out, making the small glistening pools that had probably been what first caught his attention, before noticing their jewels, which were ripe for the picking now that their chaperone eyes were closed.

 

Lydia and Angie, without a word between them, moved in for the kill. Lydia went straight to the younger sisters, while Angie made a wide circle, cutting in front of the top hatted gentleman, who nodded to the pretty, clever faced, red head. Angie than seated herself on the far end of the bench, primarily to keep the grey top hated man and any other opportunist who may also have designs on the sound asleep older sister’s jewelry, at bay.

 

Lydia meanwhile had come up behind the younger pair of sisters, laying a hand on the older ones shoulder as she chirped a happy hello to them. Asking them if they would give some coins to the monkey for her, they got up and allowed Lydia to lead them across the path.

 

The girls called to the little monkey and handed him their coins, while they all laughed at the tricks he performed for them. The younger one was looking up at Lydia who handed her another coin; she scrunched down, and gave it to him, as they waited for him to perform again. Lydia placed her hand on thy older sister’s silken covered shoulder, than her fingers quickly slid up to the necklace of pearl, and with two fingers, flicked open the hook and eye clasp, and pulled away the pearls in one motion. She then moved back, leaving the younger siblings to play with the monkey and melted back into the crowd,

 

Watching all this, Angie made a noise after Lydia had vanished from sight, waking the sleeping lass, who immediately looked around for her wayward sisters. Spying the pretty red head sitting at the end of the bench, she smiled (girls always felt more at ease around other women), Angie smiled back, and looked towards the monkey, and the sister also looks, and spies her siblings. She calls out to them, and as they come back Angie sees with satisfaction that Lydia had been busy. The sister also notices something amiss; the middle one is missing her pearls.

 

They begin to look, with the concerned red head kindly offering her” a hand” in their search. After a fruitless 15 minutes spent searching through the crowd of huddled people watching the organ grinder and his monkey, the nice red headed lady gave her apologies’, saying she must leave to make her train. The pretty lady takes her leave, holding the girls hand as she earnestly expresses her hopes that the pearls are found. She holds out her arms, and is given a hug for helping by the grateful older sister. Angie places a hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eyes, as her other hand reaches up and unhooks the sapphire brooch from the sisters satin blouse, palming it effortlessly.

 

As Angie disappears in the crowd the search goes on in earnest, It is not much after the red headed lady had swished her way through her crowd towards the train, that the older sister discovers she is wearing on less ring! As she in bewilderment places a hand to her silk covered chest, her fingers feel nothing, and start to feel around fruitlessly for her brooch, her sapphire brooch, its gone, not even so much as a tear on her satin blouse where it had been pinned by her maid that morning. The older sister feels a hand placed on her shoulder, she looks up into the smiling eyes of a dapper gentleman in a grey top hat, I something wrong my dear? He asks her, showing genuine concern in his smiling eyes.

 

As the gentleman in the grey top hat was giving his upmost attention to the young lady Angie had been “helping”, Angie entered the train, and walking to the end of the last passenger car, settled into the seat next to Lydia.

Lydia Turned towards Angie, and speaking in French, Commented:

La levée de suite les bijoux d'une jeune femme est comme une plume prise !

Dear, Angie said in an almost motherly tone of voice, I really wish you would not go about quoting that Arsène Lupin wretch, as a pickpocket the man is a butcher.

Angelica, Lydia teasingly chided, you say that about all men with light fingers, like our gray hatted friend back there.

Honey, Angie smiled, most men like that are serpents, and Lupin is still a butcher.

Lydia watched Angie settle back in her seat with a secret smile. She did not know too much about Angie’s past, but there was something there about Monsieur Lupin, (whose exploits had been made into print, tickling her young girls fancy, as she poured over them), that seemed to get at Angie’s goat. A lot about Angie’s past life was a secret to Lydia, but she knew well enough when to let sleeping dogs lie..

Lydia than settled in as the train lurched forward, taking them safely away from the London park, along with the sister’s “trinkets “the pair had obtained.

 

A little later, it became Lydia’s turn to show her mettle.

 

An hour after leaving London Station, the train stopped at a fashionable suburb. Lydia watched with half opened eyes, the disembarking passengers, and the new arrivals now walking to and fro along the wooden platform. Suddenly her eyes opened wide, and she made a small noise. Angie looked up from her book with interest, immediately spotting it too.

 

A young couple was walking past their window. He was wearing a 3 piece suit, walking stick, a silver timepiece, and a small brown derby. It was his wife, though, upon which the ladies interest lay. She was sporting a slinking satin frock, pretty in itself as it lay along her voluptuous figure, but it was her necklace that stole the show, and as she walked it was noticed by more than a few of the people she passed. It was a buoyantly bright gold drop necklace that encircled her neck, with a large stone ruby in the center of the drop that lay along her bare throat. The necklace really vexed Lydia’s interest and she watched it, and the lady who wore it for as long as she could before finally losing sight and settling back in the seat with a long sigh.

 

Only a few short minutes later she her heart leapt in her throat. The couple had entered their car, probably heading for one of the private cars at the end of the train she reasoned, as her eyes took in every detail. But no, the couple stopped at the empty seat just before the one Angie and Fiona occupied.

 

Now Lydia and Angie had the end seats in the car, their back was to the cars wall, and directly across from them was a small storage room, , so the seating across the aisle started up about three rows, which meant that basically no one could see them unless they were walking past. Lydia continues to watch with interest as the couple settled in, the wife taking the window seat, in front of Lydia a. Angie just kept her nose buried in the book she was holding; this was all Lydia’s show. Lydia watched the lady as she sat back, her and her necklace reflected in the windows, The ladies shoulders were just above the seat, and after she had settled in, she made a show of doing up her long hair in a bun, giving Lydia ample time to study the valuable necklaces gold box clasp, and plan her way to it.

 

After listening to the few sharp words the lady gave her husband, Lydia decides this elegantly coiffured lady was somewhat a prima donna. Her husband tries to place his arm around her, but is chased off. They both finally fall off to sleep, and as the twilight outside takes over, Lydia sees her chance and seizes it. Lydia reaches over, and after licking her fingers, plays with the man’s ears. He groggily wakens, still aroused now that he thinks his wife is also now amorous, he reaches over and pets her affectionately. She wakens, angry and pushes the husband away. But Lydia is prepared, as the wife leans towards her husband, and away from the window, Lydia’s fingers have already flicked open the box clasp and whisked of the gold necklace from the opposite direction, towards the window, where she catches its reflection as slips over the back of the ladies seat and curls up in Lydia’s open palm.

 

Lydia and Angie now had private, “front” row seats for when the wife’s loss was discovered. It was always a performance that Angie never tired of watching when she could chance it. And Lydia? Sticking around and watching her victim’s reaction at being pickpocketed was one of the reasons she started lifting jewelry in the first place. Neither of them was disappointed on this occasion.

 

Now wide awake, the wife settled back down to read her book, playing with a strand of her hair that had fallen while she was chastising her husband. As she did her fingers brushed her neck, she stopped reading, and carefully felt around her throat, before letting out a yelp that woke her husband, and several of the other passengers ahead of her. She cried out (in a heavy Italian accent) my jewels, La mia collana , è svanito, it is gone? In panic she rose and started to look around, her hand to her throat, giving everyone watching a nice display of her pretty figure in its shiny dress and of her remaining jewelry. Angie, Lydia, a Stewart and the couple two seats ahead got up and helped in the fruitless search. Her necklace had somehow mysteriously vanished.

After things finally settled down Angie and Lydia made friends with the husband, but his wife remained angry and distant….

The rest of the trip had been uneventful, mainly because Angie and Lydia had had their fill of their appealingly pretty little games for the time being.

*******************************************************************

Angie suddenly perked up, letting go of her thoughts. She looked over at Lydia who was nursing her drink, her eyes looking a little less peeved. Did you see her, she asked? Who? Answered Lydia, Lilith? No answered Angie patiently. Not the Girl in the coral gown and pretty pearls, that one looked miserable enough without our help, stated Lydia? No, not her, but Angie reflected, Her pearls were nice, I almost suggested a go at them, but glad we didn’t, your right she did seem sad enough as it is. No, I mean that one over there, and she threw her eyes over to the entrance of the lounge.

Oh, Lydia exclaimed, I see what you mean. In the corner just outside the enclosed lounge area stood a lady in teal velvet, carrying a purse, her silver satin gloved wrist and fingers, home to a rather nice set of blazing emeralds and diamonds, matching those around her throat and hanging from her ears. Lydia looked over the situation.

 

The new mark wearing the teal velvet, was idling looking around, obviously trying to spot someone. Lydia looked at Angie, her Hazel eyes turning green with anticipation. Who gets her, she asked sweetly. Angie nodded,( wanting something to take Lydia mind off …..) she is all yours princess ( a nickname that Angie sometimes used on Lydia, and about the only person in the world Lydia could tolerate calling her that).

And watch her movements, added Angie in an instructing tone, See how she jumps up to peer over the crowd? Try and use it to your advantage. Lydia smiled and watched, licking her lips in anticipation.

 

Now Lydia’s forte was lifting necklaces, so that whenever it was Angie’s turn to be the spotter, she would always be on the lookout for Ladies wearing necklaces that would be within easy reach of Lydia’s talented fingers. Likewise Lydia, when spotting for Angie, kept an eye out for brooches. So, when Angie told Lydia the mark was hers, it was her emerald necklace that received close study first.

 

Lydia waited until the lady had her back to them, and she rose and carefully threaded herself through the maze of tables to the entrance of the lounge, her gown rustling against any object it touched. She came up on the lady in teal. Violet she cried out, as she raised one arm, wrapping around it around the girl’s back, while the other gripped the girl’s arm as Lydia drew the lady up against her figure in an embrace..

 

The girl tried to turn, squirming in Lydia s clasp, and as she did so, Lydia’s hand had already snaked up to the studied necklaces clasp, popping it open. I’m not Vio…. the startled girl tried to say, but as she turned around, Lydia exclaimed, you’re not Violet, oh I ‘m so sorry she said, asking for forgiveness sweetly,( undoing the clasp of the necklace and lifting up one end) I thought you were my cousin violet, Lydia apologized profusely, while her one hand squeezed the girls arm, finger bails digging in, as the other one holding the end of the necklace on her shoulder, moved down behind teal velvets back, slipping away the fiery necklace with it.. As Lydia balled up the necklace in her hand, she begged her leave, expressing regrets that she did not have time to chat with her new friend, have to find where Violet wandered off to she explained, squeezing the girl’s arm.

 

The mark was only too glad to accept the pretty stranger’s apology at not being able to stay and chat. The lady watched Lydia swish off into the swarming crowds. Her eyes slightly puzzled, before she remembered that she was also looking for someone, and went off, soon forgetting the entire incident ( and later, when the loss of her necklace was discovered, her brief encounter with Violet’s confused cousin was not even thought of)!

 

As Lydia sauntered off she stowed away the emerald necklace, and then meandered about the chamber, taking her turn to spot fresh victims, whose jewels were doomed to disappear under Angie’s talented fingers.

 

Meanwhile across the Ballroom another scene was being played out…..

********

Lilith was now holding court at the edge of the dance floor; her second straight dance had ended with the young gentleman she was leading to believe fascinated her. She was busy continuing chatting him up, expressing her utter delight at the wonderful dancer he was, when Ginny timidly approached. She drew near her erstwhile boyfriend, asking him for their dance, as she desperately tried to keep her lips from trembling. Lilith’s eyes lit up in false apology (Ginny could see that all too well), darling! Lilith exclaimed, could I borrow your young man for a bit more, he promised me a drink. She placed her arm around him, isn’t that right darling? The overly polite boy, choked up a bit, unsure of what to do, his breeding not letting him wanting to hurt either Ginny, or Lilith, despite what his true desires actually were, and that was to be alone with Ginny! Although the seeds of doubt that had been planted in his mind by Lilith were beginning to take root and he was starting to have worries about what if future with Ginny would become an actuality.

 

Ginny, Charles started, faltered, than tried again, Ginny, the band is going to play The Charleston, you know how you like to dance to it, why don’t you go and I’ll catch up with you soon, promise. Yes darling, Lilith chirped maternally at poor Ginny, It will be just a quick one darling, and taking Charles by the arm, led him off, leaving Ginny standing there, wilting away as the Lilith’s words and actions burned through to her very soul. The music stared, and she reluctantly, if not a little obediently, did as Charles wished. Three dances later, he still had not shown up as promised, and Ginny danced on, a burning hole opening ever wider in her heart.

**********

Meanwhile, as poor Ginny started dancing to her second of three solo dances, we visit another end of the chamber, where Lydia is found talking merrily with three girls around her own age that she had collected around her. She had lured them into her web by engaging the considerable charm, elegance and sophistication that had been bred into her by her parents pretty much since birth.

 

Three pretty maids all in a row, overloaded with a multitude of dripping jewels, and Lydia was waiting for Angie to make an appearance and lighten their load! A blond haired lady in shiny red satin, a brown haired maiden in bright blue, and a tow headed damsel in silky gold. As Lydia was chatting up the three girls, her eyes, discreetly and unobtrusively, take an account of their jewels, their placement and their value.

 

Amongst the jewels the lady in red is wearing the most valuable is a necklace of small diamonds and a ring around her right hand’s pinky that is a large diamond cluster that shimmers spectacularly as she plays with a locket of her lion’s mane like blond hair.

 

The pretty maiden in blue was displaying a nice collection of gold jewelry, braided chains with small flecks of silver woven in. But above her left breast, was her only jeweled piece, pinned with a simple c-clasp, a gold brooch with a center stone of blue topaz surrounded by dazzling ½ caret diamonds.

 

Then there was the damsel in the pretty gold coloured gown, woven of some type of exotic, overly expensive, material that just shimmered in the massive chandelier’s light. She was also wearing opera length gold satin gloves, from which were dangling a pair impressive jeweled bracelets, their stones a multitude of rainbow coloured gems. She also wore a long pair of dangling diamond earrings, held loosely by rather ancient hinge clasps. Although her many other jeweled pieces were pretty valuable, these two twin sets were by far the most valuable pieces that anyone in the group was wearing.

 

Lydia feasted on the show her three marks jewels were displaying as she won them all over, soon bringing them into fits of giggling and laughter as they started to talk about the things most groups of women by themselves talk about, men! Out of the corner of her eye Lydia spied Angie coming up and around to see what’s up. She circled past each of the girls, slowly, nonchalantly, attracting no notice from the others in Lydia’s little group.

 

As Angie passed behind the blond in red satin, Lydia adjusted one of her rings, like it was bothering her, the motion caught Angie’s eye. Then Angie passed behind the gold gowned miss, and her eyes darted to Lydia, who lifted up her hair, exposing her ears, than absentmindedly started playing with a bracelet. Then Angie went behind the little blue gowned miss, and saw Lydia suppressing a cough, patting her chest to stifle it, her fingers splayed just above her left breast. Nodding, as much to herself as Lydia, Angie melted back into the crowd, and made a wide circle before approaching Lydia’s side.

 

Angie touched Lydia on her shoulder and she swirled, delighted that her “new friend” had shown up. (for whatever the reason, it always makes the mark(s) more comfortable when a pair of newcomers are related or are friends, Gaston Monescu, page 15 paragraph 2), Lydia excitedly introduced Angie to her three new chums, explaining to them how Angie and her had met on the train and had bonded, and how nice Angie was, and how very interesting a life she had led, along with other bits of flummery.

 

Angie’s first formal introduction was to red satin, Jessica. Whom Angie took by the hand, then reached around and hugged her, receiving a warm embrace in return. After the embrace, Angie clasped Jessica’s right hand in both of hers, praising Jessica on her pretty gown. As Jessica looked down, lifting a portion of the gown’s skirt with her left hand to show it off better, all eyes looked down. As everyone’s attention was diverted for that fraction of a second, Angie released Jessica’s right hand, slipping off from Jessica’s satin clad pinky, the large diamond clustered ring. Angie discreetly passed off the ring to Lydia, who was standing close to one side.

 

Then Lydia introduced Angie to the elegantly gold gowned young lady, Abby. Angie raised one arm, wrapping it around Abby’s back, while the other gripped her wrist, flicking open the jeweled bracelet‘s safety chain, as she drew the gold gown wearing Abbey up against her figure. The girl tried to turn, squirming in Angie’s embraces. Angie’s hand patted the girl on the back as the girl halfheartedly did the same, feeling Angie’s face bury itself in her shoulder. Effectively blocking from view the hand the held her wrist, which was picking open the bracelets clasp. Angie pulled away, looking the young miss in the eyes, everyone else eyes were also on Angie, which is what she was aiming for. And as she told the sweet young thing that it was her pleasure, she patted the ladies wrist, squeezing open the bracelet, slipping it off and into the slightly open purse at her side. As she does, her other hand goes up to the lady in gold’s dangling earring,( all eyes follow this movement) admiring the earring openly, taking its clasp into consideration for possibly an attempt later if they meet somewhere outside after hours. One never knows.

 

The last one to be introduced was the pretty Miss wearing the blue gown, Meria. Lydia, laughingly teasing her about being last, led her by the elbow and pulled the Meria towards Angie, and while she was turning, Angie took a small step forward and made sure her left side would bump against her. As Angie drew her in for an embrace, her right hand right hand was on the brooch while Angie’s left was grasping Meria’s left shoulder. Performing a move so familiar and well-practiced it was almost second nature, her middle finger pushed the c clasp out of its hook releasing the brooch into Angie’s palm. Pulling her hand down, she deposited the brooch into her purse, as she enveloped the girl in a hug. Then she stepped back, and began chatting with all three, soon winning them over like Lydia had done, keeping them distracted from themselves and their missing fine trinkets. Angie told them a quick, funny story about a man she had met on the train recently, which soon had them all giggling.

 

Angie took her leave after about 5 minutes, making an excuse that she needed to freshen up, she again took each ladies hand in goodbye, including Lydia’s, whom Angie slipped off a ring from her finger, so if things got sticky, she would be one of the victims also.

 

Lydia stayed behind to keep the three darling ladies occupied. She noticed one by one the missing jewels of each girl. The three shimmering silken lambs had been most professionally sheared, the most expensive of their jewels disappearing in such a manner that requires a ladies touch, no mere male, not even the talented Arsène Lupin, could have done better in the same scenario. As she looked them over, Lydia mused that with the mass quantities of jewelry each of the three were wearing, it would be some time before any of them realized some were missing.

 

********

 

Meanwhile across the ballroom, as Angie had been introduced to her last of the three ladies and their jewels that Lydia had lined up; another scene had started being played out…..

 

Lilith had just finished her second drink with Charles, while the third song of a five song set had just started, fast and one meant for singles (favored mainly by the ladies, one of who was the wretched Ginny). Lilith looked at Charles, and suggested he should join the gentlemen up in the smoke room (she had seen him watching them mass exodus of gentlemen heading that way when the current set of songs had started). Charles hesitated, I should really see about Ginny, he cautiously stated, not sure of Lilith’s reaction. Lilith smiled, licking her re lips, don’t you worry yourself over the poor dear, I will go and keep her company until you return, she promised happily.

 

Defeated, Charles wearily accepts her suggestion, and Lilith watches him depart, then smugly looks in the direction of the dance floor, and exultantly plucking the fag from the gold holder, squashes it down quite hard in an ash container. She snaps closed the telescoping holder, and with a positively wicked grin, leaves her seat with a pounce and heads onto the dance floor, her hips swinging her black satin gown with a fluid motion, not unlike like a black cat making a move against a frightened mouse, or perhaps a snake slithering towards its victim.

 

It is a known fact that in the wild herding animals will avoid any member who is ill or dying. This may explain that, with Ginny’s 3rd dance of the 5 song set, she was still alone. It was like her wretchedness was felt by others and so kept their distance, leaving poor Ginny alone in her own empty circle, dancing at a far end of the chamber. This is also why she was not hard to spot by one who was now specifically seeking her out.

 

Ginny jumped as a hand grasped, not softly, her shoulder, and a voice said her name, with an evil hiss into her ear…

 

Ginny turned to face Lilith, whose look of utter hatred made that she gave the poor girl, made Ginny cringe as she backed away, dancing was now the last thing on the poor girls mind.

 

Darling, Lilith said spitting out the word as she looked around to make sure no one else was listening in, I have some very bad news….

 

Lilith launched into a tirade filled litany of reasons of why “Her” dear Charles would simply never be able to have anything more to do with her. Starting with her jewelry( really dear, you had to borrow them?) jumping to her moneyless parents( penniless in-laws, really darling it just isn’t done ), her now lowered position in society, (not to worry though , after she(Lilith) and Charles were marred she would find Ginny a maids position somewhere). And finally, that Charles was leaving because he was angry with the jealous way the sniveling Ginny had been acting.

 

With each sentence that was thrown in poor Ginny’s face she stepped back, the hateful words (some of which she knew had truth in them) slicing like a knife into the already tormented girls soul.

 

Finally she could take it no longer, and openly weeping she turned and tried to flee, looking fruitlessly around for Charles, but Lilith was quick, and grasped the poor girl before she could make good her escape..

 

Oh, you poor darling, I haven’t hurt your feelings have I spat Lilith in mocking tones, her , and she drew Ginny to her in a tight embrace, feeling the girl squirming in her arms, much like a mouse would squirm under a cat’s clawed paw, or perhaps wrapped in a serpents coils( both scenarios fit Lilith). Lilith finally released the poor thing, who fled recklessly away.

 

Lilith stayed and watched Ginny bolt, an indulgent smile creeping upon her face. She started to move in rhythm with the music, extremely pleased with herself, her sleek, slinky black gown and gloves flowing down along her devastatingly pretty figure making her appear like some slithering serpent rising up from the bowels of some glittering hell….

It was no more than 2 minutes later that a hand was placed from behind on Lilith’s shoulder.

********

As Charles headed off to relish his cigar, and Lilith headed off to relish tormenting Ginny; Lydia was continuing to entertain the three young ladies, while biding her time until the next conquest of the evening.

 

Suddenly Angie appeared from the crowd, again behind the three unsuspecting girls still under Lydia’s spell. Angie gave her a subtle signal, indicating that she has spotted fresh prey in dire need of being shed of her jewels, and needed Lydia’s help with the shearing. Lydia encourages the three ladies to meet her a little later, she sees a gentlemen (winking) whom she had promised a dance. They let their friend go, thinking she should wait for a slow dance, the music being played now was no way to dance close and personal, but they unknowingly were quite wrong.

 

After leaving the 3 young ladies, Lydia soon reached Angie’s side by the edge of the dance floor. Angie turned and nodded her head indicated one side of the floor, is that Lilith? She asked Lydia’s eyes followed Angie’s nod, soon eyeing the solitary lady in black standing at one end talking with the girl in coral and pearls.

  

Yes it is she answered, why? Attend, said Angie, and Lydia listened as Angie laid out her plans before her, as Lydia watched her witch, and the diamonds she wore that flickered around her black encased figure like so many evil tongued serpents. Suddenly she saw the girl in coral whose pearls the ladies had admired earlier, suddenly turn and flee, crying. Still up to your dirty tricks, are you Lilith!, Lydia thought spitefully.

Ready, the pair of scheming red heads than made their move.

*********

Lilith turned to see whose hand it was, half expecting to see Ginny, she checked herself quite nicely when turning, when she saw Lydia’s beaming face.

The two ladies dance in step for a few seconds, than Lilith gushes, why Lydia dearest, I hadn’t noticed you were here. Perfectly lovely darling, then Lilith added, but who brought you this evening? She asked, appearing very casual.

 

Lydia stayed silent on the subject; she wouldn’t give Lilith the satisfaction of knowing that she had not found anyone since Lilith had stolen Lord St. Claire, her longtime Beau, from under her nose.

 

Instead, Lydia praised Lilith, her lovely figure and gown, false praise, and Lilith knew it. They both continue dancing, almost sparing like a pair of fencers, with sharp eyes, and tongues rather the swords.

 

***********

Having been pre-warned by Lydia that the situation would become volatile very fast, Angie had come up behind Lilith very quickly, and started to dance behind her, coming ever closer, unnoticed by Lilith whose guard was totally centered on Lydia.

 

Angie saw her chance and tripped on Lilith’s Gown, sending her into Lydia’s waiting arms. Angie’s hands at the same moment had flew up to clasp of Lilith’s diamond necklace, unsnapping it, and sending the necklace falling into Lydia’s hands as she pushed away Lilith, who was in the process of turning and rounding on the person who dared ruin her expensive gown. As she spat at Angie, reprimanding her for her careless ness, Lydia moved in between, flicking the clasp of Lilith’s diamond broach in the process. Pushing the pair apart, Lydia apologies, as her right hand neatly slipped of the opened broach from Lilith’s satin gown, saying it was her fault for dancing so close to Lilith that she had backed poor Lilith into the lady.

Lydia took Angie’s hand, apologizing, slipping her the necklace and broach into Angie’s half open purse in the process. And with that, Angie turned and went on her way, never looking back, Hearing Lilith saying something to Lydia about the clumsy bitch, as she left.

 

************

 

Later that evening found Angie walking through the lounge of an upscale hotel, having joined in with the spillover from the fancy dress ball that had gathered there. She had stashed in her hotel room the shimmering collection of purloined jewels that Lydia and her had lifted while attending the Ball proper.

For the past half an hour she had been having an enjoyable conversation with the sparkling (both in personality, and attire) tow headed lady in silky gold that Lydia had introduced her to at the ball, and who still had not noticed she was shorn of a one of her bracelets from her gloved wrist,. Angie had come across the damsel sitting alone by the bar, her friend (The pretty maiden in blue who had been displaying the nice collection of gold jewelry- less one brooch) had left her to party on with a male friend of hers.

Angie had just left the pretty ladies side, also leaving her without the bother of placing her earrings and one of her twin bracelet in the hotel safe that evening. She as of yet failed noticed that now her dangling diamond earrings that had been loosely held by their ancient old fashioned clasps, had gone the same route as her Bracelet. Angie had slipped off the earrings while giving her a generous hug of greeting after watching and waiting for her to be alone.

 

*******************************

 

Lighting a cigarette Angie left through the lobby and headed into a late night pub. As she nursed her first scotch, neat over ice, a familiar figure approached and slid onto the empty stool next to her. Thought I’d find you here, chirped a much happier Lydia. Just wanted to pop to give you an update, She waited and made small talk until after the bartender had taken and served her drink (a whiskey Soda) then began to fill in Angie.

So what was her reaction when you pointed out her jewels were missing, Angie asked Lydia with great expectations of what had happened? Well when I pointed them out, instead of thinking you (Angie) had been the culprit, Lilith assumed they had been taken by” Ginny” (the sad one wearing the coral gown and pearls) when Lilith had been hugging her. That little toad, Lilith had spat out to Lydia, and turned to hunt Ginny down.

Poor dear, said Angie, felling a small pang of sorrow for the little Ginny creature. No, answered Lydia, not really, and she continued…

Lydia had followed, realizing that Lilith was out of control, worried that someone innocent may be hurt.

And she was correct, because Lilith approached Ginny and lit into her something fearsome.

Lilith literally grabbed Ginny and started shaking her, demanding that she give them back. The girl was petrified, and Lilith started calling her some pretty nasty names.

A crowd started gathering.

Then all of a sudden this bloke wearing a gold pocket watch, cuts through the crowd and rescues the poor girl from Lilith’s clutches. Like a white knight Angie commented. Well he was in black tails, and boy was he angry with Lilith, he held the girl in coral tight as he looked at Lilith lividly, his face the reddest I have ever seen on an angry young man.

Lilith finally, collected herself, and I saw all fire drain from her face, and she turned around and stormed out of the chamber. I don’ know, nor care what became of her, stated Lydia.

 

Feel better now, princess? Angie asked Lydia.

 

Lydia smiled perking up, actually for the small bit of solace it may have been worth, it had made her feel better now that she had thought about it.

 

She smiled at Angie, producing a necklace of pearls, it seemed easier to do when she was so happy, Lydia confessed. So you do feel better Princess, Angie stated happily.

 

Lydia smiled, and the pair finished their drinks in thoughtful silence.

 

Lydia was the first to leave, smiling she bade Angie a good night, and began walking away.

Lydia had only gone a few feet, when she turned, and looked at Angie who had been watching her.

Lydia, a sly smile brightening her face and eyes, happily quoted “Assistez à un oeil de demoiselles dans vos s , chatouiller les dames de fantaisie avec une main”

Angie finished Lupin’s quote quote with a faraway look in her eyes

“tout en soulevant ses bijoux avec l'autre”

Till the morrow, Princess, Angie said in parting.

Till Tomorrow answers Lydia, turning with a skip, her gown flowing out behind her as she, now in very good humor, leaves into the smoke swirled darkness of the city to walk the few blocks to her hotel.

*****

The Epilogue:

Late afternoon of the next day, after attending an early afternoon Garden Soiree, Lydia and Angie are strolling through a park, both still dressed in their party dresses, both still wearing their fancy day jewels, (worn so they would fit in with the well to do female attendees), and both with secret pockets holding jewels lifted from some of said female attendees.

Lydia looks back at Angie, Lifting that silver dragon brooch with the ruby eyes and diamond scales was a nice move on your part Angie, she praises.

It was a lot easier with your help Lydia, Angie responded.

Lydia turned her head back onto the path, her pony tail whipping around, the pearls she had woven into it shining a bright white.

Angie said to Lydia’s back, that girl in the crème satin dress, you know I was going to go for her gold braided necklace, then you came out of nowhere and beat me to it.

Lydia just smiled satisfied to herself, I know she responded,, I wanted it to be my coup, she did not turn back to look at Angie’s reaction., but continued.. you laid down the gauntlet ,(or in this case satin glove) Angie when, as you commented on how pretty the necklace looked as it slithered along the front of her crème satin dress, you said it would take extremely deft fingers to slip it off her throat. Although I though her sisters pearls were a better score.

Angie, still walking behind her now had a secret smile on her face, and her eyes had glazed over as if her mind was drifting a million miles away from that quite park in the English countryside where the pair were now walking.

The two pretty red heads continue to walk on a bit, both in the silence of their thoughts.

Angie, Lydia asks, plopping down on a bench.

Yes dear, Angie says, her train of thought broken.

Lydia pulled out a long her gold braided necklace and was admiring it. The lady in the Crème satin dress who wore this lovely thing,; her sister, the one wearing the emerald silk gown and the pearls I fancied, you said she reminded you of a story you promised would tell me sometime? Could you tell me it now?

Angie smiled, Princess, you certainly are an inquisitive one! Let me think a minute…

Angie settled down next to her, and after mulling it over a bit, finally began…

It was during my first time in Monte Carlo, I had left the states soon after I had scored a major haul, and decided to ply my trade in new waters. It was during the fall of…

Lydia interjected, It was because of your haul at that politicians daughter’s wedding, (see album Angie being receptive)

Yes princess, that and a few other functions helped fund that trip. Angie confirmed, then went on…

I had met this pretty young like in an emerald silk gown, positively dripping in gold jewellery with rubies and emeralds…

Lydia cut in again, please start at the beginning; we have the rest of the day all to ourselves.

Angie smile, very well, I will start at the beginning: …….

 

( We will post in the album’ Angie “holidays” in Monte Carlo’ the rest of the tale stated in the epilogue. Once the story we recently unearthed in previously unknown chronicles of Angie’s life have been modified …The eds)

  

The lifting away a young lady’s jewelry is as a feather taken

La levée de suite les bijoux d'une jeune femme est comme une plume prise

 

Editor’s Notes:

Our Thanks to Mr. J. Gardner for pointing out the existence of Mr. Monescu’s 1826 guide

If you enjoyed our little story, please like and leave a comment.

And if you wish, describe what intrigued you the most about it…

Thank You

 

And last, but not least,

Kudos to the Light Fingered Lady who planted the seed of the flower that became Lydia

 

Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives

 

Theme: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx4K9i1Jj9U

I managed to build 3 quite big models this year! Especially 'to the sky' was huge and much more structural work than usual!

 

You can see here some models that I didn't post on my Flickr main account. Most of them were just some small builds for contests done within a few hours.

 

Among those is the 60ies furniture or Shaun the sheep. Contests can be quite interesting: I would have never thought of building Shaun otherwise and it was fun and satisfying.

 

'Land Ahoy' might look like a rip off of my former Lighthouse-wave MOC of 2018. Which was in a way only a fraction of my space tube cylinder. But I managed to do it 'legally' and stable and it got enough Lego Ideas votes within a few months.

Managed to catch the famous Flying Scotsman steam train as it made its way through Oxfordshire...

 

Almost 100 years old, it was built in 1923, and was the first steam loco to reach 100mph; it was retired in 1963.

 

Taken at Heyford in Oxfordshire, UK.

 

Taken March 2022

I managed to find a somewhat new angle to shoot this rusty-tipped page (Siproeta epaphus) at the Haga Ocean butterfly house.

 

Here you can see the proboscis of the butterfly. That's the almost rolled up appendage which butterflies and moths use to suck nectar from flowers with.

 

The proboscis is actually made up of two tubes which are held together by tiny hooks and can be separated for cleaning. The proboscis also contains muscles which allow the butterfly/moth to roll it up or in and also directi it towards the nextar.

 

Each tube is inwardly concave, which means they form a central tube which moisture is sucked up through.

I managed to get out last night between rain squals and get this shot with my new RGND filter that I've had for a month. Just haven't had the opportunity until last night. Obviously there was a lot of editing in photoshop but starting with the filter gives you a great starting point. Well worth the money spent.

 

Explore 05.06.09 Thanks Everyone!

 

View On Black

The meerkat after a very busy day.

 

Der Erdmännchen nach einen sehr anstrengenden Tag.

07DW1320

Sea mist rolling in

We managed to have a week away in Somerset in October - as always, it was wonderful to see the sea. The path from the Weir to Gore Point is always rewarding.

I finally managed to venture out with the camera on Friday evening to my neglected favourite local spot - Thornton Reservoir, Leicestershire.

 

It had been a lovely day and I decided it was time I tried to get another sunset.

 

It wasn't the best I've seen there but non the less there was some colour in the sky and the reservoir was fairly calm allowing for some reflections.

 

Thank you for looking and for any comments you may leave.

G9ESX