A charmed couple

the long version

"This book, richly illustrated with Walter's paintings and excerpts from Matilda's diary, creates an intimate glimpse of a lively social scene that virtually disappeared during World War I." "Walter Gay painted interior views. As a respected artist, he exhibited regularly and counted among his friends many significant figures in the Parisian art world. The Gays loved to surround themselves with antiques and works of art, and they were active collectors.". "Matilda Gay was a powerful force in the fashionable social circles of her time and entertained lavishly in the Gays' large Paris apartment and at their enormous chateau near Fontainebleau. Like many of her friends, Matilda kept a journal, in which she described parties and personalities, but her observations were unusually perceptive and often highly amusing.". "The author, William Rieder, has deftly woven Matilda's witty comments and Walter's stylish pictures together with descriptions of their friends and family into a book that breathes life into this long-lost world,"--BOOK JACKET.