our Shirt
In 1730, a Parisian prophetess told a nine-year-old girl she would rule the heart of a king. Years later, at a masked ball, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, dressed as a domino, danced with King Louis XV, dressed as a tree. Within weeks, the delicate beauty was maîtresse-en-titre, given the title Marquise de Pompadour.
"Any man would have wanted her as his mistress," said another male admirer. The couple indulged in their love of art, furniture, and porcelain, with Madame de Pompadour arranging for her jaded royal lover small dinner parties and amateur theatricals in which she would star (of course).
While watching one play, Louis XV declared, "You are the most delicious woman in France," before sweeping her out of the room
IIf there's a story that proves true love stands the test of time, it's this one. In 1944, 24-year-old K.T. Robbins met 18-year-old Jeanine Ganaye while he was stationed in Briely, France, and over the next three months, the two fell in love.
But their courtship came to a crashing halt when Robbins was transferred to fight on the Eastern Front during World War II. After the war, Robbins went home to Memphis and got married to another woman. Back in France, Gayane, now Pierson, also moved on with her life.
Fast forward to 2019 when Robbins returned to France for the 75th anniversary of D-Day and was interviewed by journalists from the television station France 2 about his World War II experience. The reporters helped Robbins track down Pierson, and the two long lost lovers, both 92, reunited in the French nursing home where Pierson lives. "I always loved you,"
Robbins told her as they embraced. "You never got out of my heart." After spending a couple of hours together, the two had to say goodbye—but they vowed to meet again soon.
