Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-05-05
HER BrkUTY DAZZlEp.
Mime. Recamier, the Most Splendid and
Famous of French Women.

Famous of French Women.
The recent sale IN Paris of a mantel
piece that orce adorned the salon OF
Madame Recamier, recalls the memory
Fof that most remai kabie woman. She
twas in her time the most beautiful and
the most famous of European women
pnd her modesty and her accomplish
ments enchained tie world of France
Ito her feet.
Madame Recamier was born in 1771
hnd at the age of 16 married NJ. Reca
mier, an opulent banker of twice hel
age. he had just acquired the hotel OF
M. Necker, situated in the Rue Mont
'Black. He had this property so en-
larged and embellished as to make it q
dwelling worthy of her who was to in
habit it. All the furniture, even to the
last arm chair. was designed and exc
cuted expressly for this purpose. The
Hotel Of the Rue Mont Blanc soon be
came the center Of fashion and intelli
gence. Fete succeeded fete. Nine. Re
camier, radiant as n spring morning
received her friends and guests with
Il
kind of neutral ground where men OF
all parties met, mingled in the same ad
miration. There gathered princes, no
bles, philosophers, poets, writers, art
lists, musicians, wits and beauties-al
attracted by the lovable woman whose
Intelligence was hardly second to heI
beauty.
This epoch of splendor, however was
not of long duration. NJ. Recamier
through unfortunate speculations, LOST
almost the whole of his fortune. Nine
Recamier was obliged to sell her hotel
her lands, her horses, even her silver
lShe took little apartment In the Rue
lBasse du Rempart, where, as in the
past, her admirers crowded around her
Fresh financial disasters having over
taken her husband, Mme. Recamier
sought refuge in the Abbaye aux Bois,
where her salon became more cele-
brated than ever. The Abbaye aux
Bois was the home of religious COM
munity. During the somber days of
the revolution this property had served
as prison. Under the restoration the
nuns of the community had made 1t
refuge for women of the world, who
withdrew there to taste of the pleas
ures of solitude without at the same
time renouncing those of society. The
nuns ceded to her the right for life of
magnificent apartment, and there she
surrounded herself with objects that
recalled her princely existence of other
days. The friends of former times
fiocked to see her and the most noted
Parisians detiled through the salons of
the Abbaye aux Bois. A writer of this
time says of her: "She never held such
place in the world as when she lived
in this humble retreat at one end of
Paris. 1t was there that her gentle
genius, disengaged from too vehement
complications, made itself more and
more felt 1t may be said that she per-
fected the art of friendship and caused
1t to take on new charms. This lovely
woman was gracious and captivating
even in her old age. The day she COM
pretended that her beauty was wan
ing, because the little chimney sweeps
no longer turned to look upon her when
she passed, she determined to conse-
crate the remaining years of her life to
the duties Of religion and to the cult
walton Of friendship"
She died in 1910. Her life was blame
less, but her salon was the scene of in
trigues, religious and political that
nave come in for severe criticism.