Paris in Bleu Blonde Rouge
The wonderful art and history of Paris and France
Episodes
20 episodes
Episode 19 - The 1887 Sale of the French Crown Jewels
The jewels of the French Crown were never just glittering ornaments. They were symbols of power, legitimacy, dynasty, and empire. For centuries, they adorned kings, queens, emperors, and empresses, surviving revolution, theft, exile, and war. B...
Episode 18 - The Tragic End of Good King Henri IV
On May 13, 1610, after finally giving in, Henri IV watched his wife, Marie de Medici, be crowned as the queen of France in the Basilique Saint Denis. The next day, his life would endIn this week's episode, we look at the trag...
Episode 17 - The Final Days and Return of Napoleon
On May 5, 1821, 205 years ago, at 5:49 pm on the remote island of Saint Helene, Napoleon Bonaparte took his last breath at the young age of 51. Between 1814 and his final day in 1821, Napoleon was exiled twice. Toss in Waterloo in t...
Episode 16 - The Louvre Pyramid of IM Pei
In 1981, the newly elected president, François Mitterand, announced his Grand Travaux project that would change the face of Paris, and none more so than the Musée du Louvre. Mitterand had one man in mind for the job, the Chinese Ame...
Episode 15 - The Louvre Heist of the Crown Jewels
It was 6 months ago, on October 19, 2025, on a Sunday morning in Paris, that a brazen heist of the French Crown jewels struck the Musée du Louvre. In this week’s episode of the Paris in Bleu Blonde Rouge podcast, we go deep i...
Episode 14 - The Fire of Notre Dame, What We Know 7 Years Later
Seven years ago this week, a moment few will ever forget. At 6:18 pm on Monday, April 15, 2019, flames erupted in the roof of the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris, and over the following hours, the 12th- and 13th-century forest would be destroyed....
Episode 13 - Venus de Milo
Created in the 2nd Century BC, the great statue of the Goddess Venus was uncovered on the Island of Mélos in the south Aegean Sea, part of the Cycladic archipelago, today’s Greece. The Venus de Milo, or more accurately the Aphrodite...
Episode 12-Renoir, the Sunday Painter
This spring, the Musée d'Orsay is holding two fantastic exhibits dedicated to Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Renoir and Love of his paintings and Renoir Dessinateur filled with his drawings, pastels, watercolors, and more. In th...
Episode 11 - La Fontaine Médicis
The Jardin du Luxembourg was created under Marie de Medici, the Florentine wife of King Henri IV. After his death on May 14, 1610, she wanted to create a home that reminded her of her childhood in Florence, at the Medici Palazzo Pitti and its B...
Episode 10 - The Crown of Thorns
Notre-Dame de Paris houses many essential items, including the most important relic in the world: the Crown of Thorns. But why is it in Paris, you ask? In this week's episode, I will share the entire story of this precious piece of ...
Episode 9 - The Wedding of Napoleon & Josephine
Surprise, bringing you a new episode a day early. Two hundred thirty years ago today, on March 9, 1796, Napoleon and Josephine wed in a late, rushed, candlelit ceremony. It's one of the most famous love stories in histor...
Episode 8 - Berthe Morisot
Berthe Morisot was one of the few women of the Impressionist Movement. With her dark locks and stunning gaze, was the perfect model for Édouard Manet. However, unlike most female models-turned-artists, she is actually kno...
Episode 7 - Madame du Barry
She was the last Favorite and Head Mistress of France and the love of Louis XV. Jeanne Bécu would become Madame du Barry and hold court at the Château de Versailles in the last years of Louis XV's life.In this episode, we dive...
Epsiode 6 - Madame de Pompadour
Known as the mistress to the king, Madame de Pompadour was much more than that, and we can thank her still today for beautiful buildings, art, porcelain, and even a diamond.In this week's newest episode, we cover the life of this amazing...
Episode 5 - The Fire of the Petite Galerie and Birth of the Apollo Gallery
Bonjour, Bonjour, and welcome to Episode 5 of Paris in Bleu Blonde Rouge. This week, we look back at the fire that destroyed the Petite Galerie but would allow the stunning Galerie d'Apollon to rise in the 17th century. <...
Episode 4 - The Carpets of the Sun King - Once in a Lifetime Viewing
For just seven days, under the beautiful glass-and-iron roof of the Grand Palais, there is a sight that hasn’t ever been seen since they were created in the 17th century. Stretched out across the over 650-foot-long nave, 31 of the 93 carpets in...
Episode 3 - The Affair of the Necklace and the Jewels of Marie Antoinette
In 1772, jewelers created a lavish necklace of 685 diamonds for Louis XV's mistress, but he died before it was completed. When Marie Antoinette refused the expensive piece, saying "We have more need of 24 ships," con artist Jeanne de la Motte s...
Episode 2 - The Fall and End of Louis XVI
On January 22, 1793, at 10:15 am, Louis XVI walked up the scaffolding, and seven minutes later, his life was over. Join me as we explore the fateful story of Louis XVI and the events that led to his death.Hang onto the end fo...
Episode 1 - The Imperial Crowns Of Napoleon III
In my first episode, I share the history and details of the Imperial Crowns of the Second Empire of France. One that was destroyed in 1887, and the other that survived the October 19 heist of the Louvre. We also have som...
