Colette
Lived here · 1896–1902
A sixth-floor former studio near Parc Monceau where Colette and Willy lived as the Claudine novels began to appear under his name.
93 rue de Courcelles
Still standing
Outside only
A private home
The sixth-floor former studio near Parc Monceau where Colette and Willy lived while the Claudine novels appeared under his name.
- 93 rue de Courcelles, 75017 Paris
- 1896–1902
Illustration
The place, briefly
From 1896 Colette and her husband Willy lived at 93 rue de Courcelles, in a sixth-floor former painter's studio near the Parc Monceau. These are the years the Claudine novels began to appear — Claudine à l'école in 1900 — published under Willy's name, though Colette had written them. The books were a commercial sensation, and the household ran on their success.
The couple moved a few doors up the same street, to 177 bis, in 1902. The building stands in the 17th arrondissement.
Key facts
- 93 rue de Courcelles, 17th arrondissement
- Colette and her husband Willy
- 1896–1902
- Home during the launch of the Claudine novels, published under Willy's name
- Private residence; the building stands
In images
Timeline
Colette and Willy move into a sixth-floor studio at 93 rue de Courcelles.
Claudine à l'école is published under Willy's name and becomes a hit.
The couple moves up the street to 177 bis rue de Courcelles.
On the map
Writers who knew this place
Within walking distance
81 rue Guyot (now rue Médéric)
The studio Édouard Manet worked in through the 1860s, where Émile Zola sat for his portrait. The street has since been renamed rue Médéric and renumbered, so the modern address is a conversion rather than a certainty.
Visit the place
58 rue Cardinet
A documented Claude Debussy address in the 17th arrondissement, occupied before his move in 1905 to the avenue du Bois de Boulogne.
Visit the place
Parc Monceau
An unusually theatrical park in the 8th arrondissement, full of deliberate follies — a colonnade round a pond, a pyramid, fake ruins — laid out in the 1770s as a private garden and opened to the public in 1861. It is where the young Marcel Proust played, and where he met his first love in July 1886.
Visit the place
45 rue de Courcelles
Where the Proust family moved in 1900, and where Marcel lived until 1906 — the most socially active stretch of his life, receiving writers, artists and journalists and giving dinners. A commemorative plaque was installed by the City of Paris in 2022.
Visit the placeReferences
References
The sources below include histories, archival materials, scholarly research, and official records that informed this page. They document 93 rue de Courcelles, the people connected to it, and its place in Paris.
1Société des amis de Colette — Lieux de vie
WebsiteUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the 93 rue de Courcelles page.
2Société des amis de Colette — Chronology
WebsiteUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the 93 rue de Courcelles page.
3OpenStreetMap
Map dataUsed forMap data used to verify addresses, geographic coordinates, and the placement associated with 93 rue de Courcelles.
4Sur les pas des écrivains : Colette
WebsiteTerres d'écrivainsUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the 93 rue de Courcelles page.
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Why these sources are here
These references provide the documented foundation for this page's history and context. Claim-level citations remain attached to the specific claims they support.
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Paris, one address at a time.
The cafés, studios, and walk-up flats where the work was made — one story from the map in every letter.