“How I found my grandfather with a DNA test” Elfie Majoie
Elfie is going to give us an insight into the mysteries which can be unravelled via DNA testing. She will explain how the tests work and how testing can be used to trace close relatives. She will then share with us the story of how, such a test unravelled a family secret which had been hidden for decades.
Elfie’s mother never knew who her father was; she was raised under a false name in in Paris. However, last year, Elfie discovered that her grand father had been, no other than, the famous French caricaturist, SEM . She will tell the story of her grand-father and his art and how she met his family, many cousins who welcomed her warmly; a very emotional and incredible encounter.
Elfie will introduce us to the Belle Epoque and all the famous people of that time who were caricatured by SEM : Cocteau, Chanel, Colette, Proust, Edmond Rostand.
Georges Goursat (23 November 1863 – 26 November 1934), known as Sem, was a French caricaturist famous during the Belle Époque. Sem attained a level of success through his imaginative portrayals of Paris at the turn of the Century. By capturing the spirit of the subject rather than exact physical traits, Sem produced images that were probably truer to life than formal portraits.