What’s in a chair, anyways?

After spending two years at UW-Madison as an assistant at the French House and elementary French instructor, Violaine Peladan finally had to say  goodbye Madison and return back home. A native of Albi, France, Violaine settled in Paris and began her new career as an Academic Coordinator at API Study Abroad (Academic Programs International). With the travel involved in that position as well as with her own esprit du voyage, Violaine has made her way around France, Europe, and the world… all the while taking a bit of UW-Madison with her.

In these photos, just a sample of the many she has taken over the last few years, Violaine’s Mini Terrace Chair reminds her, and us, that no matter where you go, you’ll always have a little bit of Madison with you.

Now, while there have been two versions of this chair making its way around the world, Violaine assures us that it’s essentially the same chair (and we’ll just have to take her word for it).  In fact, she affectionately named it Gertrude, probably after our Gertrude Slaughter, the Grande Dame and donatrice who bequeathed her home to the French House in the late 1950s and whom we have to thank for our spot on the shores of Lake Mendota.

Enjoy this sampling of Gertrude’s travels in France and Switzerland.