Florence Meyer Blumenthal (1875 – 1930) was an American philanthropist who founded the ''Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal (Franco-American Florence Blumenthal Foundation),'' which awarded the

Prix Blumenthal The Prix Blumenthal (or ''Blumenthal Prize'') was a grant or stipend awarded through the philanthropy of Florence Meyer Blumenthal (1875–1930) – and the foundation she created, ''Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal (Franco-Am ...

from 1919-1954 to painters, sculptors, decorators, engravers, writers, and musicians — to promote Franco-American relations. For their altruism, Florence Blumenthal and her husband George Blumenthal received the

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

in 1929. Both a street as well as a public square in Paris are named in her honor.

Biography

Florence Meyer was born in Los Angeles in 1875, the third of eight children of Marc Eugene Meyer, dry goods merchant from

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, France, and Harriet Newmark Meyer, daughter of Joseph Newmark, who founded New York's Elm Street Synagogue. Florence's younger brother Eugene Meyer Jr. was president and publisher of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

.'' In 1898, Florence married international financier George Blumenthal. In 1919, she organized the ''La Fondation américaine Blumenthal pour la pensée et l’art français (American Foundation for French Art and Thought)'' in Paris to discover young French artists, aid them financially, and in the process draw the United States and France closer together through art, thought, and literature. In 1925, Blumenthal moved to Paris with her husband, later donating to the Children’s Hospital in Paris the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

in New York, the Sorbonne in Paris. She and her husband received the

in 1929, and Blumenthal died of bronchial pneumonia at her home in Paris on September 21, 1930, at age fifty-five. ''Washington Post'' publisher

Katharine Graham Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, wh ...

described her aunt, known within the family as Florie, as having a perfect figure and for "bringing home massive amounts of clothing from Paris." Blumenthal was also related to the

Levi Strauss Levi Strauss ( ; born Löb Strauß, ; February 26, 1829 – September 26, 1902) was a German-born American businessman who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm of Levi Strauss & Co. (Levi's) began in 1853 in San Franci ...

family through her older sisters, Rosalie and Elise, each of whom had married a nephew of Strauss'. The Blumenthals summered in France or on yachts in the Mediterranean and were noted for their residences,

Knollwood Club Knollwood Club is an Adirondack Great Camp on Shingle Bay, Lower Saranac Lake, near the village of Saranac Lake, New York, USA. It was built in 1899–1900 by William L. Coulter, who had previously created a major addition to Alfred G. Vander ...

in the Adirondacks, their mansion in New York (half a city block and had an indoor tiled swimming pool) as well as their mansion in Paris, for which an entire wing was built to house a new

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

. In 1907, she and her husband were injured in an automobile accident in Paris, where George Blumenthal received a bad cut on his face. The Blumenthals had one son, who died at an early age. Blumenthal died on September 21, 1930, at age fifty-five, of bronchial pneumonia at home in Paris. Between May 14 and June 5, 2010, the Médiathèque of

Haguenau Haguenau (; or ; ; historical ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Département in France, department of France, of which it is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture. It is second in size in the Bas-Rhin only to Strasbourg ...

hosted an exhibit of the Florence Blumenthal archives. Recognizing the quality of care provided to their son by Professor Le Mee at the Necker Children's Hospital in Paris, the Blumenthals make a significant donation for the construction of a new building, the Blumenthal Pavilion, built in 1926 as an innovative Ear Nose & Throat (ENT) center operating around the clock, similar to the

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, also known by its acronym CHOP, is a children's hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its primary campus is located in the University City, Philadelphia, University City neighborhood of West Philadelph ...

Prix Blumenthal

The

(or ''Blumenthal Prize'') was a grant or

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

awarded through the ''Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal (Franco-American Florence Blumenthal Foundation)'', which Florence Blumenthal had founded. Grants were given from 1919-1954 to painters, sculptors, decorators, engravers, writers, and musicians. Juries including

Paul Signac Paul Victor Jules Signac ( , ; 11 November 1863 – 15 August 1935) was a French Neo-Impressionist painter who, with Georges Seurat, helped develop the artistic technique Pointillism. Biography Paul-Victor-Jules Signac was born in Paris on ...

and

Aristide Maillol Aristide Joseph Bonaventure Maillol (; December 8, 1861 – September 27, 1944) was a French sculptor, painter, and printmaking, printmaker.Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette . "Maillol, Aristide". ''Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online''. Oxford ...

, awarded a

purse of six thousand francs per year for two years. This was increased from 1926 until her death in 1930 to ten thousand francs a year. From 1919 to 1954, nearly two hundred artists received grants, including in 1921

Georges Migot Georges Elbert Migot (27 February 1891 – 5 January 1976) was a prolific France, French composer. Though primarily known as a composer, he was also a poet, often integrating his poetry into his compositions, and an accomplished Painting, painter ...

(1891–1976), composer, painter, and a carver; in 1926 Paul Belmondo, sculptor; also in 1926 Paule Marrot, textile artist; in 1930 Robert Couturier, sculptor; in 1934 Jean Oberlé, painter and in 1941 Jean Follain, author and poet.

Impact of the Prix

As an example of the impact of the Prix Blumenthal, textile artist Paule Marrot received the stipend in 1928, which allowed Marrot to open her workshop in Batignolles on rue Truffaut — where she became widely known for furniture textiles. Marrot went on to experience strong popularity and commercial success in the U.S. after World War II, made a strong impact at Renault in pioneering the company's textile and color division, and redefined furnishing fabrics in France. In 1952 Marrot won in 1952, the French Légion d'honneur (Legion of Honor), (''Chevalier'') — and her textiles continue under license to diverse companies including

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

Anthropologie Anthropologie is an Economy of the United States, American retailer operating in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and the UK that sells clothing, jewelry, home furniture, decorations, beauty products, and gifts. Anthropologie is part of Urban ...

and the handbag maker, Hayden-Harnett.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenthal, Florence Meyer Prix Blumenthal Grants (money) Knights of the Legion of Honour France–United States relations American people of French-Jewish descent 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American women philanthropists 1875 births 1930 deaths Newmark family American expatriates in France