A SHOPPER'S DELIGHT...MARCHÉ AUX PUCES

Many consider the marché aux puces (flea markets) in Paris to be a shopper's delight. Where else can you find oddities like taxidermy, fossils and other natural wonders amongst ornaments such as vintage Chanel, art, tattered books and period antique furniture, mirrors and chandeliers?  There's only one place...Les Puces de Saint-Ouen. 

Menagerie of oddities. Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen

What began as a shanty town with tin shacks and makeshift stalls of all kinds has become the largest flea market in Paris, and one of the top shopping destinations in the world for dealers, designers and tourists alike. The flea market at Saint-Ouen de Clignancourt, known simply as Les Puces, is actually fifteen submarkets with 2,500 to 3,000 stalls, indoors and outdoors, on and off the beaten path — a labyrinth of narrow winding streets, filled with all kinds of fascinating finds.

Les Puces. Photo: ParisSharing on Flickr | License

Map of Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

The history of the flea markets dates back to the mid-nineteenth century when biffins (rag-and-bone men) and chiffoniers (ragmen) traveled the streets of Paris by moonlight, rummaging through rubbish, in search of desirable objects that had been thrown out with the trash. These scavengers, collectively known as pêcheurs de lune (moonlight fishermen), would then resell their curiosities each day at local markets. The human hair they collected would be used to make wigs. Animal bones would be used for buttons or glue, while animal carcasses would be made into candles. Sardine cans would be used to make cheap tin toys. Rags would be sold to paper producers.

Rag-and-bone man in Paris, 1899. Photo by Eugène Atget. 

In the early 1860's, Baron Haussmann's renovation of Paris, commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III, displaced the street corner markets and the moonlight fishermen were forced to relocate to the outskirts of Paris near the city gates. Ironically, the Baron's attempt to drive the riffraff merchants outside the city only made them more successful. The area beyond the fortifs (fortifications surrounding Paris) was a duty-free zone, exempt from Paris taxes, and proved beneficial to these crafty traders who possessed an eye for style. They continued to troll the streets of Paris on nightly fishing expeditions, returning each morning to their posts at the Porte de Clignancourt, the Porte de Vanves and the Porte de Montreuil, where they set up shop for the day. 

The traders quickly realized the benefits of grouping their wares together, and it was not long before curious Parisians, dressed in long gowns and top hats on their Sunday promenades, began to take notice. They gazed in wonder at the bric-à-brac piled on the dirt and stacked alongside the road just beyond Le Périph. As the number of curious onlookers grew, so did the number of traders. Soon, it became fashionable, like a genteel sport, for both affluent Parisian collectors and travelers entering and exiting the city, to come and hunt for bargains amid the miscellaneous objects for sale.

"Le marché aux puces, Porte de Clignancourt" by French painter and engraver Luigi Loir (1845-1916). Oil on canvas.

There was one thing the shoppers who frequented the eccentric bazaar every weekend didn't plan on encountering, though....FLEAS! Many of the goods for sale were infested with the dirty little creatures. As a result, Parisians began to refer to an outing to the markets at the edge of town as going to les puces (the fleas). The flea market was born!

Since many of the traders had taken up residence alongside the gypsies in the town of Saint-Ouen, town officials began to take measures to rectify the chaos amidst the shanty town and its motley crew. In 1885, the municipality reorganized the area into several markets along Rue des Rosiers. They provided the bric-à-brac dealers with water and electricity and cleaned up the area to make it safer for both traders and shoppers. Trading became regulated by the municipality. Stallholders were required to pay a fee to set up their stalls, as vendors do today. Roads were paved and walkways were created along the major streets. The appearance improved and rules were established.

Saint-Ouen postcard

Saint-Ouen postcard 

Les Puces gained official recognition when it was pictured on postcards in the early 1900's and became a highly popular attraction with the opening of the metro station in 1908. Parisians loved the opportunity to find a good deal, and as long as there was a steady flow of shoppers to the flea markets, guinguettes (a type of small bar and restaurant where one could drink cheaply) and other entertainment venues quickly popped up. Music, especially manouche jazz (gypsy jazz), was heard throughout the markets. The rows of colorful stalls that crowded the city gates attracted painters like Renoir and Manet, who frequented the markets in search of used canvases they could scrape and reuse. 

Dealers, tired of packing and unpacking their stuff everyday, began selling from enclosed stalls in a covered market where they could lock their wares overnight. The rag-and-bone men and junk dealers were replaced with antique dealers, brocanteurs (second hand furniture dealers) clothing and jewelry dealers. In 1920, Jules Romain Vernaison created the first open air market, Marché Vernaison, within Les Puces and it became an immediate success. Marché Biron, Marché Jules Vallès (the first covered market) and Marché Malik were the next markets to open. 

Paris: Marché Vernaison Antiquitées. Photo by Hellebardius.

Like all flea markets, prices are negotiable. Admire the merchandise. Be polite. Speak some French, if it's only bonjour or merci. Showing the dealers respect is the best way to get a deal. Though much has changed since 1885, the Paris flea markets are a treasured tradition and being a vendor is a respected profession. If you have just a few days to spend in Paris, with only a day for shopping, the marché aux puces are still a shopper's delight!

À Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

A TALE OF TWO MADAMES: AN ABANDONED PARISIAN APARTMENT

We recently shared a link on Facebook about the discovery of an abandoned Parisian apartment that was "a time capsule, full of treasures." Lolo and I were enamored with the story and the beautiful antiques and art perfectly preserved so many years later. Seems like we weren't the only ones! The story has been circulating since 2010, but it's so enchanting and mysterious that we decided to dig a little deeper to find out more about the elusive Madame de Florian and her colorful grandmother, Marthe de Florian, an upscale courtesan and actress.

Paris Apartment of Madame de Florian
Source: The Telegraph

The dusty details reveal a love story, a romance that took place during La Belle Époque in the
midst of Paris's debauchery-filled nightlife scene. A romance that would've remained secret if not for
Monsieur Olivier Choppin-Janvry, an auctioneer commissioned to inventory the possessions of a
decadent flat in the ninth arrondissement, on the Right Bank, near the cabarets and red light district.
A flat that had been untouched for nearly 70 years after its owner fled Paris for the
South of France before the outbreak of World War II, never to return again. 

"The Can-Can", c 1900, Folies Bergere, Moulin Rouge

Madame de Florian was only 23 years old when she deserted the fabulous flat she had
inherited from her grandmother. She continued to pay rent until her death at age 91 in 2010.
The flat, near the Trinité church in Paris, remained undisturbed under lock and key until
 experts entered it for the first time since de Florian's sudden flight in 1942. 

Madame de Florian's Undisturbed Flat
Source: The Telegraph

While auction houses are regularly commissioned to inventory the contents of
a decedent's estate,I'm sure Monsieur Choppin-Janvry had no idea of the treasures
inside or the secret he wasabout to unlock. Behind the door, under a thick layer
of dust, lay a wonderfully preserved très chic Parisian apartment filled with beautiful
antiques and artwork. Monsieur Choppin-Janvry spoke of the moment he made the
discovery and “the smell of old dust.” One expert described entering the untouched,
cobweb-filled flat like stumbling into the castle of Sleeping Beauty, where time
had stood still since 1900...when Marthe de Florian herself had occupied
the now famous flat.

Taxidermy in one's home was a sign of affluence.
Source: The Telegraph

As Choppin-Janvry began to make his way through the flat, walking over aubusson 

carpets and under high, wood beam ceilings, he passed an old wood stove and 

stone sink in the kitchen, a stuffed ostrich alongside Mickey Mouse and Porky Pig, 

and happened upon the most feminine of finds, a dressing table covered with
perfume bottles, silver mirrors and tortoise combs. (Seems Marthe and her granddaughter
shared my vanity affair. Some things never change...every girl needs a vanity!)

Madame de Florian's Vanity
Source: The Telegraph

Then monsieur’s heart skipped a beat as he caught sight of a painting. A
portrait of a woman in a pale pink muslin dress stood out among the
luxurious but dusty furnishings and mountains of ephemera.

Portrait of Marthe de Florian by Giovani Boldini

Monsieur had a hunch the painting may have been painted by Giovanni Boldini, one of the most famous portrait artists in 19th century Paris. Known as the "master of swish" because of his flowing style of painting, everyone who was anyone HAD to have their portrait (or their wife's portrait) painted by Boldini. Yet, no record of this painting existed. No reference book mentioned the painting and it was never exhibited, said Marc Ottavi, the art specialist Monsieur consulted about the work. But monsieur's suspicions remained.

Italian Artist Giovanni Boldini

 Marthe was quite the "it" girl in her day...not your ordinary hooker. The era had its common prostitutes or submissive whores, the filles soumises. Above them were les grisettes, usually working women, dressmakers and such, who used sex to supplement their incomes (like Fantine in Les Miserables).  The next level up were les lorettes, respectable mistresses that fell between upper class courtesans and lower class streetwalkers. And then there were les demimondaines, like Marthe, a very singular breed. Demimondaines were known for their extravagant lifestyles, provided of course by a string of wealthy and well-known lovers. Their clothing was envied by every woman in Paris. Even the wealthiest high society matrons could not compete. For they only had one “husband” supplying the goods. Demimondaines were also renowned for drinking, drugs, gambling and outrageous spending, mostly on clothing. Despite their status, they remained forever on the outside.

Les Demi-mondaines

Ahhh...this explained the fine furnishings and the lavish lifestyle Marthe had lived, and the reason she hosted so many admirers in her Paris flat. Monsieur and his team discovered calling cards that she had stashed in drawers throughout the flat. Among them were statesmen of the period and the 72nd Prime Minister of France, George Clemenceau. It was also discovered that she had stacks of love letters from her many lovers tied in little packages with ribbons of different colors. Was it possible that the dapper, talented and charismatic "master of swish," lover of the women he painted, had called on Marthe de Florian? Indeed, he had! Monsieur Choppin-Janvry found a visiting card from Boldini with a scribbled love note and knew he had struck gold. He had the link he needed. It was clear she was his muse, his lover and the beauty in the painting. A reference found in Boldini’s widow's records confirmed the identity of the portrait's subject, dating it to 1898, when de Florian was just 24 years old.

Louis XVI Style Chairs Inside Marthe de Florian's Paris Flat
Source: The Telegraph

Louis XV Style Bergere and Beautiful Triptych Mirror
Source: The Telegraph

The painting is the only object that has been sold from the estate so far. It went up for auction and quickly reached €2.1 million, the highest selling Boldini work of all time.

Gwyneth Paltrow Depicting Marthe de Florian
Source

 As I said earlier, Lolo and I are definitely not the only ones enamored with this
 tale of two madames. Gwyneth Paltrow paid tribute to the painting and Marthe de Florian
in a photo shoot. Many have suggested it's a hoax? What do you think? The apartment remains in the hands of the de Florian estate, keeping the mystery of these two madames behind closed doors. 

Á Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi