1897 May Footnotes

[1] “Phroso“, a novel from Anthony Hope. English novelist and playwright (1863-1933).

[2] Arthur Wellesley is the 1st Duke of Wellington.

[3] “Paris Accident” – The 4th of May is a tragic day in Parisian history. It’s when 126 people, mostly women, perished in a raging fire that engulfed the building housing the annual Charity Bazaar in 1897.

[4] History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France, from the Year 1807 to the Year 1814: by William Francis Patrick Napier Originally published: 1828.

[5] Alfred Tennyson‘s ode written on the death of the Duke of Wellington was published on the day of the military hero’s funeral, 18 November 1852

[6] Flotsam By Henry Seton Merriman, published 1896.

[7] Possibly The Life of Admiral Viscount Nelson by T. H. Fenton, published 1840.

[8] Uncle Pierre is Général Pierre de Baeremaecker and Aunt Bella, his wife, Eugénie Virginie Isabelle née Wich.

[9] Boitsfort racecourse.

[10] Longchamps Fleuri – Cycling parade with flower decorated bicycles.

[11] Bois de la Cambre – The park comprises a small lake with an island in the centre, called Robinson’s Island.

[12] Avenue Louise is a major thoroughfare in Brussels. It runs southeast from Louise Square to the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos, covering a distance of 2.7 km (1.7 mi). Avenue Louise is one of the most prestigious and expensive streets in Brussels.

[13] Schaerbeek or Schaarbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.

[14] The Brussels International Exposition (Exposition Internationale de Bruxelles) of 1897 was a World’s fair held in Brussels, Belgium, from 10 May 1897 through 8 November 1897. There were 27 participating countries, and an estimated attendance of 7.8 million people.  The main venues of the fair were the Cinquantenaire Parks, as well as a colonial section at Tervuren, showcasing King Leopold II of Belgium’s personal property, the Congo Free State. The two exposition sites were linked by a purpose-built tramway.

[15] “Horse-racing has also come into vogue, and Boitsfort, in the bois, and Groenendael, farther off in the Forêt de Soignies, are fashionable places of reunion for society.” – 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica

[16] A Tale of Two Cities is an 1859 historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution.

[17] Sarah Bernhardt 1844 – 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including La Dame Aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas.

[18] “D aux C” – La Dame aux Camélias – Sarah Bernhardt considered La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas to be the key drama in her repertoire.

[19]  “La Petite Espinette” is on the border of the Soignes forest.