Madame de Florian was 23 when she fled Paris, France, to escape the Nazi raid in 1942. She locked up her apartment home and never returned. She died at the age of 91.
Her family discovered that she’d been paying the rent and upkeep on the apartment for her entire life. They hired an auctioneer to visit the place and inventory its contents.
This enigmatic room hasn’t been opened for 70 years!
© Getty Images
It’s the perfect time capsule of the Parisian Belle Epoque time.
© Getty Images
Madame de Florian inherited this from her grandmother, Marthe de Florian, a Parisian socialite and actress.
© Getty Images
The apartment remained exactly as the 23-year-old Madame de Florian left it 70 years ago.
© Getty Images
The place is filled with luxurious furniture, gold curtains, books, and many other rich embellishments of the time.
© Getty Images
A stuffed ostrich with pre-war stuffed animals — a retro-looking Porky the Pig and Mickey Mouse.
© Getty Images
The biggest treasure they found was a never-before-seen painting of Giovanni Boldini from 1898. It was the portrait of Marthe de Florian. The painting was later sold at an auction for $3.4 millions!
© Getty Images