Vintage photo of a man with a thick beard wearing a hat, suit jacket, vest, and holding a cane.

How Giverny Became Giverny

At the end of the 19th century, Giverny, a small village at the gateway to Normandy, had no idea what the future held for it.

This hamlet of about a hundred souls led a simple life, whose only rhythm seemed to be that of the seasons. Claude Monet, as he painted his works, had set up his easel in the surrounding area and eventually settled there in 1883.

Impressionism sounded the death knell for academic art, and Monet, once an outcast, became the master we know today. The consequences for the hamlet were unforeseeable: a few years later, Giverny would become the capital of Impressionism, and its history would become intertwined with that of its discoverer, Claude Monet.

He had sought peace and anonymity there, never imagining the extraordinary fame his work would bring—a work that, a century later, still enchants us.

When Claude Monet moved to Giverny, the Hôtel Baudy didn’t exist yet. The simple grocery store and snack bar run by Angélina and Gaston Baudy offered visitors only meals. There were no rooms available to accommodate travelers. Besides, who would come to stay in this little village?

Black and white street view of Rue de l'Eglise in Giverny with people near a post office building.

The Arrival of Willard Metcalf

Yet, in the spring of 1886, the American painter William Metcalf got off at the Vernon train station and made his way to Giverny on the little train that served all the hamlets as far as Gisors. The Normandy countryside offered the young artist a magnificent view of apple trees in bloom, making him regret not having brought his art supplies.

As noon approached, he spotted a brick facade flanked by a large display window: it was Madame Baudy’s café. The owner would later admit that she had been frightened by this tall, disheveled man with a strange appearance who spoke in “incomprehensible gibberish.” She nevertheless agreed to serve him lunch, but promptly turned him away when he asked for a room.

Despite this reception, he'll be back; Normandy's springtime charm is just so irresistible…

It was fifteen days later that our American artist returned to Giverny. Accompanied this time by two colleagues, he walked into the café, easel under his arm. Madame Baudy recognized her strange visitor and immediately realized, upon seeing his equipment, that the “vagabond” who had made such a strong impression on her during his last visit was, in fact, nothing more than a painter.

Doesn't Claude Monet, their neighbor, go for walks carrying a similar set of gear? And Angélina told them about her mistake and apologized. She and Gaston would give them their own room for the night.

Four men in a dim room around a table with cups, reading a newspaper and smoking.

Sepia photo of four women and two men in vintage clothing outdoors among trees and rocks.

The Encounter with Claude Monet

That is how our three friends learn that the master of Impressionism lives right there, just a stone’s throw away. To these young students, he represents the vanguard of painting; once again, they go to knock on his door.

Claude Monet will welcome them and have them join him at his table.

Back at the Académie Julian in Paris, they were very talkative: Monet lives in Giverny, a beautiful little village… and there’s an inn where you can eat and sleep for next to nothing… And the following week, everyone rushed there.

A cheerful, bearded, and long-haired crowd gets off the little train and heads to the Baudy refreshment stand. Angélina, momentarily overwhelmed, sets up more tables and arranges for her guests to stay with local residents.

In the months that followed, the project gained momentum, leading to the construction of the hotel as we know it today.

The Birth of the Hôtel Baudy

In 1887, the first workshop was built in the garden, while the main building—which would house twenty bedrooms, a dining room, and two additional workshops—began to take shape. A secondary building would add three bedrooms and house the billiards room.

In 1891, Gaston and Angélina held a housewarming party for their establishment. In Dawson Watson’s painting, “The Street Leading to the Church,” dated 1891, we can see the hotel under construction (American Museum collection).

Now, the sign reading “Hôtel Baudy” is prominently displayed on the pink facade.

The adventure has only just begun…

Vintage room with round tables covered by patterned cloths, ornate chairs, and framed pictures on walls.

Sunlit art studio with yellow walls, wooden floor, easels, paintings, sculptures, and rustic furniture.

The hotel has become a gathering place for artists

This excitement soon turns into a commotion. The old shed is transformed into a ballroom where, every weekend, the sound of bagpipes and banjos rings out, while the piano in the dining room echoes with its own recital. People drink heavily and stay up very late having fun.
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It seems, however, that work is getting done, for during the day, the Giverny countryside is dotted with white parasols and easels.
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While Robinson never strayed far from the hotel—a serious illness prevented him from traveling long distances—others would sometimes venture quite far out into nature.
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Metcalf and Ritter were fond of exploring the area around the Château de Fourges, 10 km from Giverny. The Canadian William Blair-Bruce, for his part, preferred to set up his easel near Limetz-Villez, the neighboring village.
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Naturally, Giverny would provide the most sites, and one could, with the works as evidence, take a stroll through the village with the benefit of a century’s hindsight.

The Hôtel Baudy: Gallery and Meeting Place

The Hôtel Baudy benefited from this artistic output, and while the walls of the dining room were covered with paintings left as tokens of friendship, the hallways and guest rooms served as makeshift art galleries.
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Often, savvy dealers and collectors would come to purchase a work directly from the artists.
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The hotel, which had become a distributor for Lefèvre et Foinet—a manufacturer of art supplies (canvases and fine paints)—further solidified its role in the art world. From then on, artists from the region also came there to stock up on supplies.
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Gustave Loiseau, who lived near Vétheuil, often visited his American colleagues, while Pissarro wrote these telling lines to one of his friends:
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“Go to the Hôtel Baudy in Giverny; there you’ll find everything you need to paint and the best company imaginable.”
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From then on, the hotel was always full, and the locals nicknamed it “the American painters’ hotel.”

Vintage photo of men in suits around a horse-drawn carriage in front of a brick building.

Vintage photo of two women playing tennis on a clay court, another woman watches from behind.

A small Anglo-Saxon enclave in Giverny

The construction of the tennis court across from the refreshment stand further cemented the Anglo-Saxon atmosphere and drew in artists and curious onlookers.
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Though initially reluctant, the villagers are now fully involved, and the refreshment stand has become the most cosmopolitan gathering place around.
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Romances blossomed discreetly, and while Radimsky married his model, Buttler proposed to Suzanne Hochedé, Claude Monet’s stepdaughter.
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Robinson would depict this ceremony in his painting “The Wedding March” (in the American Museum’s collection).