Blog

Happy 153rd Birthday, Julia (1872-1957)!

A few of the birthday greetings Julia received from her family still survive. They were mailed to her in Paris, where she was studying architecture. Her mother Eliza. . .

A Birthday Present

Julia’s sister Emma sent her a novel for her twenty-ninth birthday, writing on January 6, 1901: “I wish you ever so many happy Birthdays and this one too – trusting in some way that you may have. . .

A Groundbreaking Talking Picture

    Though Julia’s brother Avery did not arrive in Paris until nine months after she had attended Cyrano de Bergerac, he may have been able to watch a brief… Read more »

Viewing a Legendary Play

Julia and her friends occasionally went to the theater in Paris, where she saw great actors perform their signature roles, including Sarah Bernhardt playing Hamlet and Constant Coquelin playing Cyrano. . .

A Spectacular View

Julia struggled through her first icy winter in Paris. She was thrilled to see the first signs of spring, writing to the LeBruns on March 1, 1897: “The weather is beginning to brighten, these days. . .

Cathedral Bells

Julia occasionally allowed herself a day of sightseeing, amidst her strenuous preparations for the École des Beaux-Arts’ entrance exams. On Easter Sunday in 1897, she showed a young female visitor. . .

Spending Thanksgiving in Paris

Julia struggled with homesickness while in Paris—especially during holidays. Writing to her friend Beatrice Fox on December 11, 1896, Julia reported that her first solitary. . .

The Duomo at Como

Julia and Avery arrived in Como, Italy late one evening in August 1899. They went straight to the Duomo—the city’s main cathedral (also known as the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta). . .

Arriving in Italy

For their summer vacation in August 1899, Julia and Avery eventually decided to take the train through Switzerland and Northern Italy. It had not been. . .

Considering the Bicycle

With Avery as her companion, Julia could explore Europe during their summer breaks. They considered different modes of transport, as she explained. . .