Originally published to glowing reviews and literary prizes in France in 1985, this revealing diary not only recounts the moving and tragic relationship of its author, Geneviève Bréton , with the rising young nineteenth-century artist, Henri Regnault, it also serves as a valuable historical document concerning the social, cultural, and political life of the French Second Empire.

Following Bréton's own instructions that she left before her death in 1918, this English version of the diary reincorporates material that was deleted from the French edition. Graced by rare photographs of the Bréton family as well as Regnault's paintings, the book contains a touching foreword by the author's granddaughter, Daphné Doublet-Vaudoyer.

In its first English translation, this book is for lovers of French life and culture, as well as students of French history, literature, and art.