You may recall reading our blog The Pee Ladies of Paris (November 7, 2015). Well, I’m going to take you on another journey into the history of public urination in Paris. Our discussion could easily take place in London or any major European city (e.g., Berlin, Stockholm, or Lisbon).
During the Middle Ages, there were no toilets (unless you were the king and queen or of high nobility), no sewer systems (other than the river and city streets), and no way to relieve oneself in public unless you were female and had your ladies-in-waiting form a circle around you to shield your actions. For the men, it was much easier. They just urinated in public—seemingly no shame in this other than the smell.
Public Urination
Public urination was banned in Paris by the 1700s. For convenience purposes, “barrels of easement” were placed on the street corners. Unfortunately, the problems—public views and the stench—were not solved.Read More Please, No Pissoirs in Public!
Did you know that the first photograph taken with people was in Paris? Louis Daguerre used his new technique called Daguerreotype to take the photo in 1838. It was called “Boulevard du Temple.” Despite the street being extremely busy with pedestrians and a lot of traffic, only two individuals showed up in the photo—someone shining the boots of a man. The exposure time necessary was more than 10 minutes and so those 2 individuals must have stood relatively still for that time to be captured.
Palais de Justice – Conciergerie. Photo (c. 1853-70). Charles Marville. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.
Charles Marville (1813–1879) was one of the early photographers in Paris. His photographs of Paris in the mid-1800s are the best representations of the streets and buildings prior to their destruction by Napoléon III and Baron Haussmann. Many of his photos give you a good sense of what medieval Paris might have looked like (i.e., narrow streets, houses, workers such as the tanners, and streets used as the sewer). Many of Paris’s historically significant buildings were demolished over a 22-year period as Napoléon III carried out his vision of modernizing the city.
Marville was born Charles-François Bossu. He changed his name to Charles Marville in 1837 presumably since his last name, Bossu, means hunchback. Right about the same time, Victor Hugo published The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1837 (was it really a coincidence he changed his name at that particular time?).
Monsieur Marville was named in 1862 as the photographe de la ville or photographer of the city. In this capacity, he began a series of official photographs called Le Vieux Paris (Old Paris) that captured certain parts of the city—buildings and streets—before Haussmann demolished them. This album of work consisted of approximately 450 photographs. They encompass his work over a 7-year period ending in 1869.
Urinoir en ardoise à 3 stalles, Chaussée du Maine. Photo (c. 1865). Charles Marville. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.
It is likely that many of Marville’s early photographs were destroyed. The city of Paris would have owned his photos and since the Hôtel Carnavalet (today, the museum of Paris) was undergoing renovations at the time, the collection of photos would have been held at the Hôtel de Ville (city hall). When the Hôtel de Ville was destroyed by fire during the Commune in May 1871, the photos would have perished (along with much of the written documentation of the French Revolution).
Charles Marville and his collection of old Paris photographs would not be discovered until the 1980s. Today, they are part of the collection held by Roger-Viollet (6, rue de Seine) and loaned out to museums around the world for special exhibitions. This is the photographic agency owned by the city of Paris. It owns, controls, and licenses almost all the official photos of Paris, photos of the relics held by the city owned museums, and other related photographs.
If you enjoy the historical aspect of Paris, don’t miss one of the Charles Marville photography exhibitions that come to your town. I know I won’t.
Do we have a lot of stories? Of course we do. I’m looking forward to sharing these with you. Please continue to visit our newsletter and blog. Perhaps you’d like to subscribe so that you don’t miss out on the most recent newsletter and blog posts.
Thanks so much for following my newsletter and blogs as well as my little journey through this incredibly interesting process of writing a series of niche walking tour books based on European historical periods or events.
– Stew
Please note that I do not and will not take compensation from individuals or companies I mention or promote in my blog.
“Stew blends the dark history of buildings in Paris that are associated with the infamous deeds of the Gestapo with contrasting insights into the bravery of the French people, who, at great risk to themselves and their families, secretly resisted the German Occupation.”
Stanley Booker, MBE, RAF (Ret.), Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur
Paris Occupation History and Guide Book
This book presents three detailed walking tours and numerous metro station oriented short walks that identified significant occupation locations. Each location on the walk is fully explained. In addition, the author uses many sidebars to provide additional supporting information. The appendix provides a wealth of additional information and pictures that the novice and well read Occupation scholar will find helpful. Whether your first exposure to the Occupation or one of many books you have read, this book is a must read prior to visiting Paris. The format and size of the book make it easy to carry in your carry-on luggage. The book is the first of a three volume set. I can’t wait to see the information to be presented in Volumes 2 & 3.
Patrick from Albuquerque.
