April 15, 2021

A horseshoe wreath was laid to celebrate L’Imaginaire’s reissue of Natalie Barney’s book of epigrams and essays, Nouvelles pensées de l’Amazone. The book was first published in 1939 by Mercure de France. Éditions Ivrea brought out a paperback version in 1996.

Notes of congratulation by friends and family members were placed on the grave. Tributes were published here in French and in English.

To commend new publications by the author, the ideal composition should foreground the tuberose, a flower that held pride of place in Natalie’s house at 20, rue Jacob. Today, tuberoses are difficult to get out of season, and so the floral design that marks any such occasions will focus on recreating their fragrant atmosphere.

Celebration for this publication happened on April 23.

April 23, 2021

A profusion of lilies will drape the grave to honor the birthday of Élisabeth de Gramont (1875-1954). It was celebrated every year by the sisters (and their mother) who considered Lily part of the family. In 1918, Lily and Natalie made a secret marriage contract which they honored for life.

Tributes will be published here in French and in English, printed, and placed on the grave.

April 30, 2021

A horseshoe wreath of narcissus will be laid to honor of Natalie and Élisabeth de Gramont, who celebrated their anniversary on the morning of May 1 beginning in 1910 until Lily’s death in 1954. Receiving Lily for dinner on April 30, 1909 was one of Natalie’s first acts as hostess in her new home at 20, rue Jacob. Lily learned that she had a sixth sense for pleasure and stayed the night.

Tributes will be published here in French and in English, printed, and placed on the grave along with notes from friends and family.

May 1, 2021

Azaleas will be placed on the grave to honor the birthday of Romaine Goddard Brooks (1874- 1970). Chocolate cake on Romaine’s birthday was an annual event for the sisters, who considered Romaine part of the family. Romaine and Laura had apartments in the same building at 74, rue Raynouard.

From the afternoon they met in 1916, Natalie and Romaine were lovers for life, forming an extended family unit that had included Élisabeth de Gramont since 1909.

So, May 1 was a delicate balancing act for Natalie—whose attention had to be split between two spouses—and a day that called for mindfulness and extreme tact on the part of Laura and their mother, Alice, who always made a point of visiting Paris this time of the year.

Tributes will be published here in French and in English, printed, and placed on the grave along with notes from friends and family.

June 6, 2021

A horseshoe wreath of Greek laurels and native flowers will be laid to honor Eva Palmer Sikelianos (1874-1952), whom the sisters considered part of the family when they made their adult homes in Paris in 1901. Natalie and Eva lived together at 4, rue Chalgrin beginning in April 1903 and later moved to Neuilly. This occasion marks the date of Eva’s groundbreaking 1906 production of Natalie’s play Équivoque in the garden at Neuilly.

The production was a high point in the cultural flowering of a period in arts and literature that is often referred to as Sapho 1900. Poet Renée Vivien, buried nearby, played a significant role in this sapphic literary movement. She was also a family friend—and a one-time lover of Natalie.

Tributes will be published here in French and in English, printed, and placed on the grave.

August 18, 2021

A horseshoe wreath of seasonal flowers will be laid to honor Laura, who died on this date in 1974. For a lifetime of service to France, her adopted home for seventy years, Laura was named chevalier (1925) then officier (1937) of the Légion d’Honneur. Throughout her life, Laura was a peace activist at the vanguard, championing the rights of women and children at the United Nations, and promoting international recognition of the Baha’i faith.

Tributes will be published here in French and in English, printed, and placed on the grave along with notes from friends and family.

September 15, 2021

A horseshoe wreath of seasonal flowers will be laid to honor the anniversary of Natalie and Romaine, who became lovers for life on the day they met, probably September 12, 1916, at the Paris home of a family friend, the Marchioness of Anglesey.

Tributes will be published here in French and in English, printed, and placed on the grave.

November 30, 2021

A horseshoe wreath of seasonal flowers and berries will be laid on the grave in celebration of Laura’s birthday. This date in 2021 is the 142nd anniversary of Laura’s birth in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The newborn was named after her parents, Alice and Albert (called Clifford in the family), thus christened Alice Clifford Barney, although she was called Laura all her life.

Tributes will be published here in French and in English, printed, and placed on the grave along with notes from friends and family.

December 21, 2021

A holiday wreath will be laid to mark the winter solstice, bringing this year’s celebration cycle to a close. Readings and seasonal blessings will be published here in French and in English, printed, and placed on the grave along with notes from friends and family.

Events 2022

The 50th anniversary of Natalie’s death in 1972 will bring new publications by and about Natalie, Laura and their circle. Stay tuned for more details. Perennial events in the family life cycle will include tributes to Laura’s and Natalie’s mother, Alice Pike Barney (1857-1931), to Laura’s husband Hippolyte Dreyfus (1873-1928), and to others.

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