The Lapin Agile
This is a small structure in Paris that still serves as a restaurant. It was a favorite spot for artists in the 1870's during the rise of impressionism. "The agile rabbit" translation on the gable. The trees aren't dead. This was in March of 1997 and the buds were just coming out. They had been trimmed rather severely.
It's always an adventure...
I read about the origin years ago, but had to go anew to Wikipedia to get the full story:
ReplyDeleteIt was originally called "Cabaret des Assassins". Tradition relates that the cabaret received this name because a band of assassins broke in and killed the owner's son. The cabaret was more than twenty years old when, in 1875, the artist Andre Gill painted the sign that was to suggest its permanent name. It was a picture of a rabbit jumping out of a saucepan, and residents began calling their neighborhood night-club "Le Lapin à Gill", meaning "Gill's rabbit".
Over time the name evolved into "Cabaret Au Lapin Agile", or, the Nimble Rabbit Cabaret. At the turn of the twentieth century, the Lapin Agile was a favorite spot for struggling artists and writers, including Picasso, Modigliani, Apollinaire, and Utrillo.
retireand go-
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments and embellishment. "Je suis desole" on my less than agile history. I do appreciate your update. thanks,
JohnC