Jules Guerin's Castles of the Loire, France 1905-1906

British writer Richard Whiteing was the author of a lead article in The Century Magazine for April 1905 entitled The Chateaux of the Loire and The Chateaux of Touraine in the June issue.

Click on images to enlarge them.

The piece begins: "Our breakfast at the modest hotel at Chinon was particularly enjoyable. To be fair, this imports no very great praise of the hotel. Even provincial France is losing the secret of the French cuisine bourgeoise. They cook in the provinces now much as they cook in Paris, and this again implies no compliment to the capital. . . . our coffee was served on the terraced bank of the Vienne. There was plenty of foliage between us and the sun, still rather uncomfortably near its meridian, though on the right side for the wayfarer. The day was glorious; the breakfast was a breakfast in one of the most beautiful towns of old Touraine; and old Touraine has the richest remains of those historic chateaux of the Loire which I had come to see."

This is Guérin's rendering of the castle of Chinon, for many years the stronghold of English invaders where it dominated all of Touraine.

The chateau of Luynes

The chateau of Langeais.

Approach to the gate of the chateau of Langeais. My young wife and I were there 51 years ago and I remember being very much impressed with the power of the buildings. Whereas other chateaux of the Loire are situated to be seen at a distance, Langeais is a presence to be reckoned with. It is seen up close and impressive. While walking through its narrow streets at dusk we had to duck into the shelter of doorways as the U.S. Army came highballing through town towing monstrously large canvas-draped ordnance that reminded us we were in the middle of the Cold War responding to the recent launch of the Soviet Sputnik.

Chateau of Loches.

Loches: the tower of Fulk Nerra

Comments

[nancy]

I'm looking for a certain scene of chateau luynes by jules guerin which depicts knights riding around the chateau. Is it possible to see it somewhere?