Meissner found that many of the existing cafes make impressive use of windows and grand chandeliers to create a spacious, inviting atmosphere. For her project examining literary change in Paris, Meissner narrowed her focus to French Symbolist poets from 1875 to 1930, specifically Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlain and Paul Gaultier. The cafes were incubators for new thought and creativity, Meissner says. Last summer, to save on transportation costs within Paris, Meissner estimates she hiked about seven miles daily for two and a half weeks to track down 20 cafes of the 1800s, the oldest of which opened in 1686. Meissner took photographs, collected memorabilia offered by waiters and began searching out documents, including old menus, in the archives of Paris.
Some cafes are still there and have the same decor.
Artists of the 1800s thought the drink boosted their creativity, Meissner said. This summer Meissner will spend more time in the national archives. One archival find last year was two boxes of menus from the cafes of the 1800s. Meissner, who has compiled an extensive bibliography on the poets, their times and the cafes, had to return to the U.S. before completing her research. Meissner plans to meet with Mrs. Springer, a former Lawrence resident who has lived and worked in Paris as a journalist since April 1959.