The Vokouns of Chicagoland

I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list. - Susan Sontag Lise the Bohemian Lise Tréhot was Auguste Renoir's muse. She was the subject of more that twenty of his paintings including this one depicting the Bohemian Roma of Paris of his time. It so happens that she was neither a Bohemian nor a gypsy but details, details.  The Roma people are Europe's gypsies but they share a name with Bohemians thanks to the permissive protection granted by a former King of Bohemia, Zikmund in the 15th century and courtesy of turn-of-the-century Parisians who romanticized the gypsies' artistic and unconventional lifestyle. Hence the opera,  La Boheme , which was in turn the inspiration for the musical, Rent .  It is unlikely that we will ever find any photos of Anna so I chose Renoir's rendition of a Bohemian gypsy. Kočovník (KOE-cho-VEE-neek) is the Czech word for nomad or wanderer. It seemed appropriate for Anna and her husband James lived a life that never seemed entirely settled.