1.4.1 “This legendary country.”
—Anonymous. Magazine without cover, title or date devoted to the history of the École des Batignolles.
It was the autumn of 1842. It was also the start of the new school year. Monsieur Chapuzot ‘s boarding house in Chatillon-sous-Bagneux, near Paris, looked unusual that year. All sorts of national memorabilia were on display – it was a veritable museum. There were eighteen little Poles there in black uniforms with red lapels, buttoned up to the chin. The White Eagle shone on the buttons. Each held a Polish “square” in the national colours. They examined the maps of Poland hanging on the walls with curiosity. For them, it was a legendary country of which their fathers would speak with emotion in their voices. This distant, unknown country appealed to their hearts, but the Polish language had always seemed difficult to understand. Here, they would learn the language, they would learn the history of their homeland, unhappy and heroic, which they already loved and which they would soon serve.
