A visit to the Home of George Sand - Nohant - France

Vacation Report 7:

We were invited to the Home of George Sand in Nohant, in the middle of France. Here it is, Nohant on the Map

Hereby you are also invited to the home of this unique person, a very productive writer and a very early feminist. Her life was vey challenging in the 1800-hundreds France, to express it softly.

The visit to her home was - well - something very special.... So read on.

Many of my readers my have read something of her works and her relationships with famous artists and intellectuals, pre-feminsist and aristocrates etc in France between 1830 until her death in 1876, among them the famous Composer Frédéric Chopin.

For some reasons I believe most of my readers do not have heard about this very special personality George Sand. In fact a Woman that did write under a Male pseudonym. Why?
Continue reading.... and click on the Links.

I will combine this post with some facts and links to more facts with Photos I took during our visit.

Anna is saying: "Follow me" (We had a French Guide - so you here had to accept a Norwegian writing in some sort of English)

Here you see George Sands Home. Main entrence in the Centre

Before we go inside, just read this:
Also scandalous was Sand's smoking tobacco in public; neither peerage nor gentry had yet sanctioned the free indulgence of women in such a habit, especially in public . These and other behaviors were exceptional for a woman of the early and mid-19th century, when social codes—especially in the upper classes—were of the utmost importance.

After our visit inside George Sand's home, I was told it's forbidden to take photos there. So the following photos are unique.


As you can see, from the Photo of George Sands house, she was not born among the poorest in France.

This beautiful Chandeliere tells a lots of her style and heritage.
At that time, they did not have electricity

As a consequence of many unorthodox aspects of her lifestyle, Sand was obliged to relinquish some of the privileges appertaining to a baroness — though, interestingly, the mores of the period did permit upper-class wives to live physically separated from their husbands, without losing face, provided the estranged couple exhibited no blatant irregularity to the outside world.

What has allways been a fascination to me is Cooking.

Here you see George Sands kitchen. At that time it was very modern and new technology was implemented. Not only to cook, but also to preserve the food to be served "au point" and not to forget use the heath from the Ovens to Heath the whole Villa during the Winter Months.

Look at this. A Chefs wonder and dreams even to day.

Poet Charles Baudelaire was a contemporary critic of George Sand: "She is stupid, heavy and garrulous. Her ideas on morals have the same depth of judgment and delicacy of feeling as those of janitresses and kept women.... The fact that there are men who could become enamoured of this slut is indeed a proof of the abasement of the men of this generation."

After a visit to the Kitchen, let's go to the intimate Dining Room. For very special invited Guests only.

Here George Sand invited the intellectual elite from those times. They came here from Paris by Railway or Horsedroven Wagons.
You have to visit to see how her friends were arranged at the Table

Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin, later Baroness (French:baronne) Dudevant (1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pseudonym George Sand was a French novelist. She is considered by some a feminist although she refused to join this movement. She is regarded as the first French female novelist to gain a major reputation. Her production was enormous. 82 different titles.

After dinner and talks it was about time to have some entertainment.

Often, the first entertaiment was a puppet theatre. Just for fun. And for a hand-picked audience.Because the play-lines was not "comme-il-faut" at that time. And political incorrect.

And why not have a rehearsel of her fellow author's new plays and books, in her private Theatre?
Many Author's lines and texts have been changed during those evenings. Friends gave their instant opinions and feed-back. Try to imagine how it was, these evenings.

Sand's best works include her countryside novels LA MARE AU DIABLE (1846), in which Germain, a young widower, must choose between a rich woman and a poor girl, FRANÇOIS LE CHAMPI (1847-48), LA PETITE FADETTE (1849), and LES MAÎTRES SONNEURS (1853). In LUCREZIA FLORIANI (1846) Sand depicted her relationship with Frédéric Chopin (Prince Karol de Roswald in the book). HORACE (1842) was an examination of the young generation enthused by the ideals of Romanticism. She also wrote memoirs, short stories, essays and fairy tales. ELLE ET LUI (1859), a triangle drama, reflected her romance with Musset, who answered with Lui et elle, in which he defended his brother. Louise Colet continued the literary battle with Lui (1860).

Here some Flowers from the estates beautiful Garden

In 1842, the English critic George Henry Lewes said that Sand was ''the most remarkable writer of the present century.'' However, Sand's literary reputation started to decline after her death, and in the beginning of the 20th century, her work did not attract much attention. "The world will know and understand me someday," Sand once wrote to her critics. "But if that day does not arrive, it does not greatly matter. I shall have opened the way for other women."


In the Garden at Nohant, you will find several quotations from famous persons. Here is one written by George Sand about love.

Next stop: Sancerre or Bourges, so stay tuned. Will it be Wine or Cathedral?