Proust on Taking Tea in the Winter

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Edward George Handel Lucas (English artist, 1861-1936) Silent Advocates of Temperance 1891

From Remembrances of Things Past (À la recherche du temps perdu 1913-22), here is Proust's young memory of taking tea...

"When one day in winter, on my return home, my mother, seeing that I was cold, offered me some tea, a thing I did not ordinarily take. I declined at first, and then, for no particular reason, changed my mind. She sent for one of those squat, plump little cakes called petites madeleines, which look as though they had been molded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell.

"And soon, mechanically, dispirited after a dreary day with the prospect of a depressing morrow, I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shiver ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin.

"And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory - this new sensation having had the effect, which love has, of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me, it-was-me.

"I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent, mortal. When could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy? I sensed that it was connected with the taste of the tea and the cake, but that it infinitely transcended those savors..."

Marcel Proust 1871-1922.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) painted Carmen Gaudin

Often the portraits of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) take a back seat to his popular poster art. As we saw with his portraits of Suzanne Valadon, he created serious paintings of those he encountered in Montmartre. One of his favorite models, in addition to Suzanne Valadon, was another laundress named Carmen Gaudin (1866?–1920).

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin , 1885

My favorites of his portraits, by far, are his early paintings of Carmen Gaudin.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin Red-Headed Woman in a White Blouse in the Artist's Studio

The model for this series of Lautrec paintings Carmen Gaudin apparently made her living as a laundress, model, and prostitute.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin

It is reported that Lautrec spotted Carmen, as she was leaving a Montmartre restaurant sometime in the summer of 1885.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin The Red-Headed Woman

Lautrec was reportedly infatuated with red-headed women. He seemed to be attracted to Carmen both for her beauty & her tawdriness. He had been born into a traditional, well-to-do family.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin


Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin Lowered Head 1885

Lautrec is supposed to have intended to improve her lot in life by making her his model, but it appears that she had already posed for the Belgian painter Alfred Stevens, and later worked as a model for artist Fernand Cormon as well. Cormon was Lautrec's art teacher.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin At Montrouge. 1886-87.

In autumn 1885, Lautrec wrote to his aristocratic mother, that he was "painting a woman whose hair is absolute gold," referring to Carmen. Tucked deep into the artist's community at Montmartre was the garden of Monsieur Pere Foret, where Toulouse-Lautrec executed a series of pleasant plein-air paintings of Carmen Gaudin

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin Red-Headed Woman in the Garden of M. Foret, Summer 1887

 He was able to portray Carmen in realistic poses and situations which he would not have been able to do with client friends from his family.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin 1889

Throughout his voluminous body of work his models were often prostitutes, commonly the only source of female models willing to bare more than their face or hands.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin Woman in a Garden 1889

Lautrec did not portray his models in a demeaning way, he seemed to want to capture the spirit of his models. And, with them, he could play with light and shadows, as he could not with traditional portraits.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin as The Laundress. 1889, although some say that the model for this particular painting, and perhaps the following portrait, was Suzanne Valadon, during a period when her hair was dyed red.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Carmen Gaudin Red-Haired Woman The Toilette. 1889.

Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938) - Andre Utter (1886-1948) Model, Lover, Husband, & Business Manager

We should not leave artist Suzanne Valadon's (1865-1938) life without mentioning her relationship with her son's friend, painter Andre Utter (1886-1948). 

Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938) Adam and Eve 1909

In 1906, her son Maurice Utrillo introduced her to his friend Andre Utter. At that time, she was married to stockbroker Paul Mousis, whom she had married in 1896. 

Suzanne Valadon (1867-1938) Andre Utter and his Dogs

She fell in love with André Utter, 21 years her junior. He became the love of her life, her business manager, and her husband.

Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938) The launch of the 1914 net


Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938) Self Portrait with her Family c 1910 Self-portrait with Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955), husband Andre Utter (1886-1948) and Utter's mother


Andre Utter (1886-1948) Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938) 


Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938) Maurice Utrillo, born Maurice Valadon (1883-1955), and Andre Utter (1886-1948) 1919

Jean Édouard Vuillard 1868-1940 adored model & muse Misia Godebska Sert Natanson

Jean Edouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Said to be a painting of Misia Natanson 1895

Jean Edouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Misia Sert Natanson at the Piano 1895

Jean Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) Misia Seated in an Armchair, Affecting Nonchalance (1901)

Jean Edouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Artist Vallotton chez les Natanson 1897

Jean Edouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Nape of Misia's Neck 1897

1899 Jean Édouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Valloton and 1897 Jean Édouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Valloton with Misia Sert Natanson in the Dining Room at Rue Saint Florentin


Jean Edouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Misia Sert Natanson au piano, 1897-98

Jean Edouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Tapestry or Embroiderers La Tapisserie ou Les Brodeuses. 1895. (Model reported to be Misia Godebska Sert Natanson.)

Jean Edouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Misia Sert Natanson 1897


Jean Edouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Madame Misia Sert Natanson 1897


Jean Edouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) Madame Misia Sert Natanson

 Jean Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) Monsieur and Madame Alexandre Natanson 1907

  Jean Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) The Alexandre Natanson Family, Rue Saint-Florentin 1897

Jean Édouard Vuillard (French artist, 1868-1940) The Red Robe (probably the Natansons) 1898

 Jean Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) Misia Sert and her Niece Mimi Godebska (The Black Cups)

Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) adored model & muse Misia Godebska Sert Natanson

Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert


Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson 1895



Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Model - Misia Godebska Natanson Sert


Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert 1908


Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Misia Woman in Blue Hat


Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Misia avec Thadée Natanson 1902


Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Misia Godebske Writing 1895


Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert 1908-9


Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947). Misa with a Pink Corsage 1908


Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) La maison de Madame Misia Godebska Natanson (1904)


Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) , Jeux d’eau ou Le Voyage for Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert 1906-1910


Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947). Portrait of the Artist in the Bathroom Mirror (Self-Portrait), 1939-1945

Model & Muse - Misia Godebska Natanson Sert 1872-1950

Misia Godebska Sert (1872-1950) became a muse in Paris from an early age and maintained her influence for over 50 years.  Although she played the piano, she did not directly create anything; but she was an inspiration for a wide variety of other artists.

Photo by Jean Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson

It is said that early in her life, the beautiful Misia took husbands rather than lovers & became a rich woman.

Photo by Jean Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson

Admirers who couldn’t paint wrote poems & music dedicated to her.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) in His Studio with Misia Natanson

Misia became muse to Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, Vuillard, Renoir, Diaghilev, Cocteau, & Vallaton.

Photo by Jean Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) Misia and Thadee Natanson

Masia Zofia Olga Zenajda Godebska was born on 30 March 1872 to Sophie Servais & Cyprien Godebski.

Photo by Jean Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson 1897

She was born in Russia just outside of St. Petersburg, where her father, a sculptor, was engaged in reconstruction of the palace.

Photo by Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson et Edwards assis sur le pont 1906

Her mother died shortly after giving birth to her.

Jean Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) and Madame Misia Godebska Natanson 1899

The motherless baby was called Misia, a Polish diminutive of the name Maria.

Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert

She lived with her maternal grandmother & other relatives as a child, while her father was busy with a new wife.

Photo by Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Mme Eugène Bonnard, Misia, et Ida Godebska en 1900

As a child, Misia was a talented pianist & pupil of Gabriël Fauré, who called her a prodigy.

Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert

When she was 8, she joined her father and stepmother in Paris in 1880.  Even before she reached Paris, she was accustomed to associating with artists & musicians. When she was only seven, Misia sat on the lap of the great Liszt at the home of her grandmother near Brussels & played him a Beethoven bagatelle. "Ah, if only 1 could still play like that." the old man sighed.

Misia ran away from her harsh step-mother (a marquise, a dipso-maniac, whose breakfast included bread soaked in chartreuse) at the age of 12, and Faure, her early teacher & a great composer, helped her to set up as a music teacher.

When she was 14, the poet Mallarme wrote poems for her on her fan, and Debussy played to her from the score of "Pelleas and Melisande" on which he was working.

At 15, Ibsen took her to a dress rehearsal of his masterpiece "The Master Builder."

Photo by Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert 1906

In 1893, she married Tadeusz Natanson, a Polish émigré to Paris, a politician & journalist, when she was 21, although later she lied about her age & claimed to have been married at 15.

Coco Chanel and Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert

The newlyweds enjoyed access to the highest creative circles in Paris. Artists visited their home & were commissioned to create art for it.

Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert

The high cost of entertaining and enjoying the high life took its toll.

Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert

When her husband, editor of La Revue blanche magazine, was on the brink of bankruptcy, the newspaper magnate Alfred Edwards saved him, on condition that he surrender his wife to him.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson

Misia began living with Alfred Edwards in 1903. She lived with Edwards, until he fell in love with another woman.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert 1900

Around that time she started hosting a more formal literary-artistic salon in Paris.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson 1895

She acquired considerable influence in Parisian musical & artistic circles.

Félix Vallotton. (1865 - 1925). Misia at Her Dressing Table 1898

Stéphane Mallarmé, Claude Debussy, as well as painters such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Édouard Vuillard, Félix Vallotton, and Pierre Bonnard were among her guests.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson 1910

She was a confidante of Pablo Picasso & Jean Cocteau.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert

She became an early patron of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Model Madame Misia Godebska Natanson 1895

Misia's third marriage was to the Spanish painter Jose Maria Sert (1876-1945).

Félix Vallotton. (1865 - 1925). Misa a son bureau

She loved Sert so much, that she let him leave her; when he fell in love with another woman, Roussadana Mdivani.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson 1897

When the “other woman” died, Sert returned to Misia.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson Sert 1904

Misia was painted many times by her artist friends.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Model Madame Misia Godebska Natanson

She became close friends with designer Coco Chanel.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) Madame Misia Godebska Natanson 1897

Proust immortalized her in 'Remembrance of Things Past' as his Princess Yourbeletieff. Ravel dedicated "Le Cygne" (The Swan) in Histoires naturelles, & La Valse (The Waltz) to her. To gain access to the Ballets Russes, a young Jean Cocteau became her protege and made her the heroine Princess de Bormes in his novel Thomas l'imposteur.  In the end, Misia seems to survive only in the work of others.