I was delighted to discover that Franz Liszt played at the Colonel's Rue de Varenne salon in a charity event to support a German orchestra who had toured Paris and fallen on hard times due to lack of attendance at their performances. Franz Liszt As you can see below, the event was organised by seven... Continue Reading →
Colonel Thorn is widely regarded as the founding father of the American Cathedral in Paris. Though he had left France by the time the church was being built, the whole concept and passion for the project came from the Episcopalian masses that he held at his residence. I visited the Cathedral in 2016 and the... Continue Reading →
As mentioned in a previous post, Colonel Thorn was a patron of Theodore Sedgewick Fay, editor of the New York Mirror. Fay's novel Norman Leslie was first published anonymously. However, the dedication to Thorn probably fuelled speculation as to who the author might be. In time, Fay was outed by Edgar Allen Poe in a... Continue Reading →
When I started this blog, I did mention that it would be a random approach to research i.e. when I get time, or something in particular grabs my attention. So please bear with the random order of posts. In this one, I am digging into one of the architecturally coveted residences Colonel Thorn owned during... Continue Reading →
Ida Thorn was born in 1835 and married the older Mr Samuel Mickle Fox who was three years older than her, on a Wednesday, the 10th July (?) in 1857. The wedding took place at Herman Thorn's and was conducted by the Rev. Dr. Pratt. Samuel had been previously married to his first cousin Mary... Continue Reading →
Serge tells me that he heard from Zenaide de Saillette that there was a copy of this sculpture of Jane Mary (Thorn) de Pierres made by Paul Gayrard. The Lady ofn Horseback (1853 approx) How incredible it would be to track it down and find out who the owner is now and how it came... Continue Reading →
According to heraldry records, the de Pierres crest and motto are as follows Pour Soustenir Loyaute - To Uphold Loyalty Ours Lance Pierres - Bears Throw Stones From the de Pierres family tree From inside Les Bretignolles Les Bretignolles
I should warn you not to expect this collection of notes to be linear. I am writing as information comes to light, or as I feel so inclined. Today, I'd like to talk about Les Bretignolles, which was owned by Etienne and Jane de Pierres in the mid to late 1800's. They are both buried... Continue Reading →
The early nineteenth century in Europe produced some astounding art and literature. I had the pleasure of seeing The Second Republic exhibition at the Musee Dorsay in Paris in 2016. What a revelation! Rich artwork, beautiful sculpture and splendid objets d'art. The aristocracy and the wealthy indulged money and time seeking to record and immortalise... Continue Reading →
I'm so excited to share this with you!! Last week, a doctoral candidate Alba Campo Rosilla from the University of Delaware got in contact with me to say that she is writing a dissertation on G P A Healy. In her research she discovered a portrait of Colonel Thorn, and who I believe is Ida... Continue Reading →
The Colonel and Mrs Thorn 
[…] Mr Maurer […]
I noticed that too..nicknames add even more color to the picture
Oh, yes I found the photo amd put it on the poat about the Thorn granchildren! From Jane's letters it…
I shared her portrait and her father James with you…James is the black framed portrait vs the giant gold framed…
Dear Jacqueline, I feel the same as you. It has brought so much to life. Jane is clearly very fond…