L'hôtel de Marsay

This image is inspired by one of the last chapter of Gaëlle Nohant's book "La part des flammes". It is a book about the Bazar de la Charité fire of 1897, whick claimed the lives of 126 people, mostly women. The book focuses on the intertwined fates of 3 women around this dreadful event.
I really enjoyed the research process for this image. I started from the written description of a fictive location in Paris, and I ended up investigating what actual real locations this hotel might have been based on :D I was really inspired by the work of painter Jean Béraud and his gorgeous Belle Epoque depictions. In the end, I opted for a full Downton-Abbey-inspired cinematic look which really fit the mood I wanted!