Fontainebleau
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Fontainebleau. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
fon-tan-blo, a village on the Seine, thirty-seven miles above Paris. As in the case of Versailles the village is unimportant. Interest centers in the royal palace of Fontainebleau and in the magnificent forest of the same name. In 1547 Francis I converted a medieval fortress into a chateau or palace, unrivaled in Europe for extent and magnificence. On account of its retirement, and the delightful forest surrounding it, the place was the favorite residence of French monarchs. This extensive pile of buildings contains five separate courts. The buildings are two stories in height. With the exception of several pavilions their exterior is not particularly imposing; but the interiors are decorated without regard to expense, in a style unsurpassed even in France. The merest stroll through the vast hallways, picture galleries, halls, and suites of rooms is a day's task. The visitor is shown the room where Louis XIV signed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, the hall in which the sentence of divorce was proclaimed against the Empress Josephine in 1809, and the court where Napoleon parted from the grenadiers of his old guard before his banishment to Elba in 1814. The mirrors and vases of Marie Antoinette, the bed and clock of Napoleon, the table on which he signed his abdication, together with many other objects of interest are pointed out. The preliminaries of the treaty of peace between Great Britain , France, Spain, and Portugal were arranged at Fontainebleau in 1762. A treaty, known as the Peace of Fontainebleau, was concluded here in 1785, between the French emperor and the Dutch. The forest of Fontainebleau is about twelve miles in diameter and covers an area of 42,000 acres. It is the most beautiful forest in Europe. Springs, gorges, magnificent old trees, a cavern once the haunt of bandits, and rustic huts in which souvenirs of the forest are sold, are connected by walks and drives shaded by overarching trees. Foot paths intersect the forest in every direction. The wayfarer might wander through the forest for days without exhausting its resources. A number of picturesque villages find shelter around its borders. Among others, Barbison is noted as the residence of artists who delight in painting the scenes of Fontainebleau. It is to the credit of the French republic that the chateau and forest are well kept. The president of Frances lives here in the summer-time. See Versailles ; Paris ; Seine
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a town of France, department of Seine-et- Marne, near the Seine, in the forest of the same name, 32 miles S. S. E. of Paris, and 8 S. by E. of Melun. Manufactures porcelain. Fontainebleau owes its celebrity, and indeed origin, to its palace, or château, a favorite residence of the French monarchs. This is a vast and superb pile, in fact, rather a collection of palaces of different architectural periods, than a single edifice. Saracenic, Tuscan, and Greek orders are intermixed and interspersed with that of the Renaissance, and with the most bizarre and dissimilar ornamentation; yet, on the whole, the structure has a striking air of grandeur and majesty. It is surrounded by magnificent gardens, and lies in the forest of Fontainebleau, a finely wooded tract of 42,500 acres, intersected by the Seine, and presenting a very varied and picturesque surface. The château of Fontainebleau has been the scene of many historical events. Philip IV., Henry III., and Louis XIII. were born in it; and the first-named monarch died here. It was here that Louis XIV. signed the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in 1685. It was visited by Peter the Great; Louis XV. espoused the daughter of Stanislaus, King of Poland, in this palace; Pope Pius VII. was confined within its walls for 18 months; and it is intimately connected with the history of Napoleon, who made it his favorite residence. He signed his abdication in the palace, in 1814. It was comparatively neglected by Louis XVIII. and Charles X.; but Louis Philippe restored it to somewhat of its ancient grandeur. In 1837 the nuptials of the Duc d'Orleans were celebrated here with great pomp. Under Napoleon III. the palace was still more enlarged and embellished, and became the scene of luxurious autumnal fêtes, rivalling those of the days of Louis XIV. The forest of Fontainebleau became famous during the 19th century as the resort of many famous French painters of the modern school, Rousseau, Corot, Diaz, Millet, etc. Pop. about 15,000.