Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 42

[cahn]

Last post, we had (among other things) Danish kings and their favorites; Louis XIV and Philippe d'Orléans; reviews of a very shippy book about Katte, a bad Jacobite novel, and a great book about clothing; a fic about Émilie du Châtelet and Voltaire; and a review of a set of entertaining Youtube history videos about Frederick the Great.

Comments

Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 4

[selenak]

Kind Sir,
honored Mr. Secret Chamberlain,

among the papers Glasow left behind, there was a bill of Messieurs Girard Michelet & company for 358XX 20XX, wherein among other things one of the item is 28XX 11XX per box of Eaux de Senteur, sent by Monsieur Mettra on August 29th to the Kng's Majesty. As Gentz has told me that it seems likely to him that this item has been paid from the King's purse last year in the month of September, I beseech your Grace to have the kindness as to check the bills for the month of September for me, and possibly also of the following months, and to inform me of the result. Given the monetary value back then, the sum for the above named box should only haved accounted to 20XXX, which has been paid.
Incidentally, I'd like to know how how much of Monsieur D'Alembert's pension has been reimbursed in Paris to Messieurs Girard Michelet & Company? I have the honour of remaining with true respect,

your Grace,
mon tres cher ami etc.


So now we know how people like D'Alembert who had been made honorary members of the Berlin Academy by Fritz but didn't live in Prussia got their pension - evidently Girard Michelet & Company were Fritz' Parisian bankers. Also, no signs of spying yet, just the idea that Glasow has pretended the bills were higher than they were and presumably kept the monetary difference?

Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 4

[mildred_of_midgard]

So now we know how people like D'Alembert who had been made honorary members of the Berlin Academy by Fritz but didn't live in Prussia got their pension - evidently Girard Michelet & Company were Fritz' Parisian bankers.

Apparently! We're about to meet [B]aumbach & Dimpfel of Hamburg, stay tuned! (They appear to be the wine suppliers, but we'll see.) Dimpfel might be this guy.

Also, no signs of spying yet, just the idea that Glasow has pretended the bills were higher than they were and presumably kept the monetary difference?

That's what it looks like to me.

Eau de Senteur, btw, is scented water, i.e. perfume.

Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 4

[selenak]

Ha! Didn't prinzsorgenfrei - or was that felis? - tell us about Fritz (and FW, and various other Hohenzollerns) being faithful customers of Eau de Cologne and that we do know which perfume exactly they used because it's in the orders/bills of the enterprise?

I mean, given their sheer consumption of tobacco and sweating, they clearly had to do something...

Perfumes

[mildred_of_midgard]

Yep! https://cahn.dreamwidth.org/181432.html?thread=3088824#cmt3088824

Though it's not clear to me if they were faithful customers per se of that perfume, or if they're just attested having bought it at least once.

I mean, given their sheer consumption of tobacco and sweating, they clearly had to do something...

I was thinking the same thing. And apparently what they did was this:

So, uh... at least according to the records of Farina, both Fritz and FW smelled like "an Italian spring morning right after the rain, oranges, grapefruits, lemons, bergamot, cedrat, lime and the flowers and herbs of [Italy]" at some point.

:'D