Queen for a Day

A hand fan in ivory, paper, and gouache attributed to the French artists Marital le Jeune and Brallet, circa 1735–40. With period rooms and decorative props, and scents and sounds of centuries past, an immersive exhibition in Paris transports visitors from morning to night inside an 18th-century aristocratic home By Lacey Minot Once upon a time, before tourists waited in line for hours for hot chocolate at Angelina, before Chanel occupied Rue Cambon and the Ritz, before Van Cleef & Arpels sparkled at Place Vendôme, Saint-Honoré became the quarter of choice for Paris’s 18th-century aristocrats and luxury artisans. This neighborhood is as storied as its eponymous street is expansive. At over one mile wide, it is so densely punctuated by the monuments, houses, and collections that give Paris its alluring gravity that simply to queue up for chocolat chaud is to be immersed in its legacy. READ ON