Musings On Thanksgiving & How Hermes Scarf Madison Ave. By Kermit Oliver Relates to My Thankful Musings

Many people in America will celebrate a special holiday this week. Our children in school have been learning all about the "pilgrims" who came to this great land, and stopped for a moment in time to be grateful, and to share and show their gratitude with the Native American people who now permitted them sanctuary on these shores.

Looking back over this past year on my personal life, and the lives of people across this vast land I realize that for many thinking of things to be grateful for may prove very difficult this up coming Thursday. But I am reminded of words my mother continued to speak almost daily during her last year as she lost her battle with cancer.

I would be driving her to her chemo therapy appointments and she would suddenly turn to me as we looked out and enjoyed the changing leaves of fall on the trees planted on the parkway we took the medical center. She would turn and say "You know DeNice, we are very blessed...", and I would always stop and think for a moment how strong she was to be going through what she was enduring, and to still see each new day as a day filled with blessings of some sort if we but opened our eyes.

All over the world finances are in turmoil, people who saved lifetimes are now watching stock markets tumble to the ground. People who worked for most of their lives for major companies are now either without a job, or worried that the doors will close tomorrow. People who realized the dream of home ownership are now watching those dreams fade away to dust. People with children are worrying how will they continue to to keep them clothed, fed and housed. And many will ask themselves "Thankful, what can I possibly be thankful for???"

In 1620, a group of people left the only home they had ever known, aboard a ship to travel over 3000 miles to a land they had never seen. Their trip was perilous, the sea was beset by storms. They did not turn back. When they landed, on these shores it was the middle of winter. Many were already very weak from their hazardous 2 month voyage. The local Native people shared their knowledge with people who today would be called "illegal aliens". They helped them to survive, to flourish, and to establish the beginnings of what would the first of many colonies to come. Colonies which would develop into the land that I call home today.

This great land has gone thorough many changes since those days, some for the better, and some we as citizens have lived to regret and to learn from the mistakes made all along the way. But we are blessed, we are blessed that those early pilgrims did not turn back, we are blessed that they felt led by faith to make the journey, we are blessed that they were befriended by a people whom they could not even communicate with, we are blessed that those living here first allowed them to live amongst them.

And today we are blessed, because we still have leaders who have asked to lead, who will not give up, we are blessed because others in history traveled to this land also to make it what it is today. We are blessed because today technology, connects us to others far far away and makes the world seem smaller. It is for all of this and much much more I will be grateful this Thanksgiving, I will be grateful for all of those who came before so that I could live so blessed.

Kermit Oliver's Madison Ave. to me speaks to the rich bounty of this great land, the flowers, the animals, the people, those here now, and those from the past. The title when standing alone, may speak of material things, but Oliver's painting makes us realize what is truly valuable. He contrasts true wealth, with what is perceived wealth or bounty. He leaves it up to us to decide.

I hope you enjoy the video exploration, and I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving

The song is a Native American piece called "Mahk Jchi (Heartbeat Drum Song)"
Written by Pura Fe, Soni, Jen. Saponi translation by Lawrence Dunmore. Performed by Ulali: Pura Fe, Soni, Jen. Album: Music for the Native Americans

Saponi translation:

Mahk jchi tahm buooi yahmpi gidi

Mahk jchi taum buooi kan spewa ebi

Mahmpi wah hoka yee monk

Tahond tani kiyee tiyee Gee we-me eetiyee

Nanka yaht yamoonieah wajitse

The words translate to English as:

A hundred years have passed Yet I hear the distant beat of my father's drums.

I hear his drums throughout the land.

His beat I feel within my heart.

The drum shall beat so my heart shall beat.

And I shall live a hundred thousand years.

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Musings On Hermes Scarves

Musings On The Royal Mews

Scroll Down For More Pictures of "The Royal Mews"




Located in the very heart of London are the royal stables, known today as the “Royal Mews”. The word “mews” is a derivative of an old French word “mue” (which is taken from the Latin “mutare, meaning to change). In this case it is the changing of plumage. For in the Middle Ages the king kept his falcons in a “mews” during their “mewing” or molt.

Prior to 1537, the royal stables were in Bloomsbury. However fire destroyed the Bloomsbury stables and the horses had to be moved. At this time the mews for the falcons was at Charing Cross. Needing quarters for the horses after the fire, the falcons were moved from their mews and the horses were then stabled there.

Buckingham House was purchased by George III in 1762, and later became Buckingham Palace. This gave the Monarchy the stables at Charing Cross and Buckingham Palace. In 1824 George IV had the stables and the coach houses at Buckingham Palace re-designed, and in 1825 this became the “Royal Mews”.

In 1855, Queen Victoria established at her own expense the “Royal Mews School” to provide education to the children of the servants belonging to the Royal Mews. The school remained for over 20 years.

Today all state vehicles are housed and maintained at the Royal Mews, thus it serves as an important working department within the Royal Household.

Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermes (President and fifth generation descendant of Hermes founder, Thierry Hermes) visited London in 1990. As part of his stay he visited the Royal Mews. Here he was inspired by the exquisite craftsmanship and beauty of the Royal coaches and the historical association with horses. He knew he was experiencing the perfect subject matter for an Hermes scarf.

He also knew that he had in mind the perfect artist for such a piece, his old friend and someone who had designed other scarves for Hermes, Colonel Jean de Fougerolle. Colonel de Fougerolle was beseeched to visit the Royal Mews himself. Once there he too was inspired by the rich possibilities for design offered by the setting.

Appropriately in 1993, during Hermes theme the “Year of the Horse”; Colonel Jean de Fougerolles rendition “The Royal Mews” scarf was released. And would remain The exclusive to Great Britain until the end of 1993.

The scarf’s design incorporates at its center depictions of the horses and carriages of the royal family, the Queen’s Equerry and Master of Horses are facing each other. The carriages depicted are: The Golden State Coach, The Irish State Coach, The Barouche, The 1902 State Landau, and queen Alexandra’s State Coach.

Hermes presented this scarf to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, on May 13, 1993.
An interesting side note is that the site where Buckingham Palace now stands was originally a mulberry garden planted by King James I (r. 1603-25) to rear silkworms. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong kind of mulberry bush, and silk production never took off in Britain.

We can be forever thankful that this was not the case in France.

A Study Of Napoleon - A Scarf Meditation

One of the most classic and timeless pieces ever done by the design house of Hermes is Napoleon. First issued in 1963, it was later re-issued in the years 1985, 1995, and 2002. The design was done by Phillipe Ledoux one of the most prolific designers of Hermes scarves in their history. No collection would be complete without a Ledoux design, as he is perhaps the most beloved of all designers by Hermes. I am not speaking regarding collectors, I am speaking regarding representatives of Hermes, they speak regarding the works of Ledoux with a reverence that they seem to rarely give others. Monsieur Ledoux has long since past, but his designs will live on forever.

Many collectors I know prefer their Napoleon scarves in the colorway that best represents France, such as the colors of the flag. I however, prefer the soft elegance suggested in soft pink border, perhaps giving the suggestion of the memory of Josephine.

The original Napoleon was produced with a bee jacquard as seen here. Hermes no longer produces Jacquards as they proved to be very expensive to produce.


Napoleon's Bees


William Henry Ireland in 1822 wrote:

"It was custom in France during its early and barbarous ages, that whenever a monarch died his horse and page were killed and buried with their master, that they might be in ready attendance upon him in the next world. In the year 1653, the tomb of Childeric, the father of Clovis was discovered and within it were found the skeleton of a man that of a horse and part of he skeleton of a youth, concluded to be the remains of Childeric and his companions. On furhter search in the tomb were found a purse, containing above a hundred pieces of gold and two hundred pieces of silver, bearing the heads of different emperors of France; a crystal ball or orb, a pike, a battleaxe, the handle, mounting and blade of a sword; gold tablets and style; the bit and part of the harness of a horse; fragments of dress or robe; and more than three hundred little bees of the purest gold, their wings being inlaid with red stone like carnelian. The appropriation of this emblem was hence suggested to Napoleon. A gold signet ring was taken from the finger of the larger skeleton; upon it appeared and engraved head, having long hair flowing over the shoulders, and it the words, "Childerici Regis"..."

"The State Council followed Cambacérès and Lacuée, who proposed the bees, as "a republic with a chief", with a sting but producing honey, which was the emblem of work for Ségur. The team, directed by Vivant Denon, that designed the imperial arms, proposed a semy of bees in "Merovingian style" on the imperial purple coat. The original design was deemed "too archaic". Later, a bee with well-detached wings was selected, and appeared on the Emperor and Emperess' clothes, as well as on the hanging in the Notre-Dame cathedral during the coronation.The bee was part of the French symbolic from 1804 to 1814 (First Empire), during the Cent-Jours (20/03-22/06/1815), and finally under Napoleon III's Second Empire (1852-1870)."
Source: Encyclopaedia Universalis

Below is a picture of the Merovingian Bees from the Gallica web site

I am fascinated by the pure luxury of the Hermes Napoleon Scarf, it seems to carry with its name a since of the decorum of the era it represents. I thought it would be interesting to do a photographic study of the scarf, a kind of visual meditation of it. Letting my camera be my eyes as it swirled the twill of bees. Below is the result of that meditation. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did.

Musings On A Tale Of Three Vapeurs...

Ok a trivia question, name two scarves that Hermes re-issued and changed the scarf slightly in design with the re-issue?

Answer: "Paris Modistel" and "Merveilles De La Vapeur"

In 1956 Hermes released the original "Paris Modistel" by Hugo Grygkar, then when it was re-issued in 2006 the printed name on the scarf changed to "Paris Modiste".

In 1958 Hermes released the original "Merveilles De La Vapeur" by Phillipe Ledoux, the design was re-issued in 1986. In the re-issue they changed the design by replacing one of he highlighted steam vehicles in the center medallions with a completely different vehicle.


In the original issue the lower left medallion has a depiction of a steam vehicle by Luigi Pagani, the newer re-issue has a locomotive by Marc Seguin. I have never been able to track down why the decision to change the design. It does indeed make the scarf a different piece. There have been many times that collectors are kept guessing on why Hermes has done what it has done, this is just one incident.



The original issue of the design was also colored far differently. I have seen only one other original 1958 piece, and it was similar to mine in that it did not have a lot of fanciful coloration, but instead was like a fine old sepia style photo but was done in golds, grays , and black. Where mine is cream, rose, burgundy, and black.

I am attracted to the design of this scarf due to it's loose connections to some pieces by Jules Verne a favorite author of mine. Like "Tour du Monde en 80 Jours" also by Ledoux. Many who know the design of this scarf might not realize that it also has a Verne connection loosely to two works, and personal notes by Verne, "Backwards to Britain" in which Verne mentions the foundry near his boyhood home where certain steam engines were built, and "Paris in the 20th Century" in which Verne discusses the rail line between Paris and St. Germain. Verne also rode Stephonson's "Great Eastern" to visit the United States, and witnessed the building of the "Great Eastern" which he documented in his notes under "Journey to England and Scotland"All of this has led me to wonder if perhaps Phillipe Ledoux may have also been a real fan of the Jules Verne classics. If he was not at least I can imagine that he was.