Tag: George Sand

George Sand’s 1839 Letter: Tuberculosis, Chopin & Medical Folly

, , , , 6
Last moments of Frédéric Chopin, by Teofil Kwiatkowski

I’ve been reading John Green’s Everything is Tuberculosis, in which Green shows how cultural norms and unscientific assumptions shaped society’s view of tuberculosis and its victims over the centuries. In the 1800s, people thought TB affected the pure of heart, the highly intelligent, the emotionally sensitive, and the artistic. Being…

Continue reading

The Indefatigable Nadar and his Pantheon of Cultural Big Wigs

, , , , , , , , 12
Nadar focus image

Perhaps you’ve heard of Nadar, an industrious, yet chaotic, bon vivant who lived in Paris at the end of the 19th century. I had not until writing about the life of Gustave Doré, a brilliant illustrator whose career was launched, in part, through Nadar’s promotional efforts. His name popped up…

Continue reading