30 Amazing Photos Show What Paris Looked Like in the Mid-1970s

In 1975, the National Assembly changed the status of Paris to that of other French cities and, on 25 March 1977, Jacques Chirac became the first elected mayor of Paris since 1793.

The Tour Maine-Montparnasse, the tallest building in the city at 57 storeys and 210 metres (689 feet) high, was built between 1969 and 1973. It was highly controversial, and it remains the only building in the centre of the city over 32 storeys high.

A suburban railway network, the RER (Réseau Express Régional), was built to complement the Métro, and the Périphérique expressway encircling the city, was completed in 1973.

These amazing photos were taken by mindSnax that show street scenes of Paris in Spring of 1975.

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40 Wonderful Photos Capture Street Scenes of Paris in the Late 1970s

A set of wonderful Ektachrome photos was taken by William Nurenberg that shows street scenes in and around Paris, France in May 1978.

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Siège d’Amour: This Love Chair Was Originally Designed for the Future King Edward VII in 1890

This extraordinary and highly imaginative chair was originally designed for the future King Edward VII – then known to everyone as ‘Bertie’, the playboy Prince of Wales – during his youthful escapades in Paris.

Made to measure by the prominent (yet discrete) cabinetmaker Louis Soubrier in 1890, the love chair was delivered to the Parisian bordello Le Chabanais for the future king’s personal use. The design allowed the infamous playboy prince to amuse himself in numerous ways, including with two ladies at the same time.

Bordellos were legalized in France in 1802, but it wasn’t until 1878 that one of high standing, Le Chabanais, was opened. One of the great bordellos of fin-de-siècle Paris, Le Chabanais was renowned for its extravagance. Over the years this ‘maison de tolerance’ saw visitors as illustrious as Humphrey Bogart, Mae West, Cary Grant, and the future King Edward VII. The bedrooms were lavishly decorated in their own exotic styles, including the Turkish Chamber, Pompeii Room and Japanese Salonbut Bertie’s favorite was the Hindu room.

While the original chair used by the prince is now owned by the great-grandson of the original 19th-century maker, the present example is one of just three known based on the original design. Another example can be found on display at the Museum of Sex in Prague.

A siege d’Amour displays at the Sex Machines Museum Prague.

Portrait of a Parisian Woman With Her Cat in Her Cannabis Garden, ca. 1910s

This lovely young Parisian woman is enjoying a serene moment in her lush garden in the 1910s in France. Her companions are her fluffy faithful feline and her caged bird. Keeping songbirds as pets is a hobby as old as the ancient Sumerians, but small home aviaries became a status symbol in the 1800s and early 1900s. Likely, this young lady enjoyed the company of her birds as a way to connect with nature.

Interestingly, her garden contains several cannabis plants. It could be that the unique leaves and vibrant foliage was sought after as a garden plant. Or it could be that the young woman or her family were utilizing the medicinal properties of the cannabis plant to treat any one of a number of ailments.

(Image © Casas-Rodríguez Collection)

According to Steampunk Tendencies, the newspaper on her knee was Le Mirroir, a weekly photographic newspaper devoted to World War I. By enlarging on the newspaper we can see that this is the edition of August 15, 1915. It was, therefore deduced that this photo was taken that day or after.

(via The Mind Circle)

45 Fascinating Black and White Photos Capture Street Scenes of Paris in the Early 1970s

Paris is the capital and most populous city of France, in an area of 105 square kilometres (41 square miles). Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of Europe's major centres of finance, diplomacy, commerce, fashion, science and arts.

The city is a major railway, highway and air-transport hub served by two international airports: Paris-Charles de Gaulle (the second busiest airport in Europe) and Paris-Orly. Opened in 1900, the city's subway system, the Paris Métro, serves 5.23 million passengers daily; it is the second busiest metro system in Europe after the Moscow Metro.

Paris is also especially known for its museums and architectural landmarks. The historical district along the Seine in the city centre is classified as a UNESCO Heritage Site, and popular landmarks in the city centre included the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris.

Other popular tourist sites include the Gothic royal chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées, and the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur on the hill of Montmartre.

These fascinating black and white photos were taken by JiPiR that show street scenes of Paris in 1972 and 1973.

Paris street scenes

Paris street scenes

At the Louvre

Avenue de l'Opéra

Avenue de l'Opéra

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Sandbags Protecting the Notre Dame Cathedral During World War I

Notre-Dame de Paris (meaning “Our Lady of Paris”), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral was consecrated to the Virgin Mary and considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Its pioneering use of the rib vault and flying buttress, its enormous and colorful rose windows, as well as the naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration set it apart from the earlier Romanesque style. Major components that make Notre Dame stand out include one of the world’s largest organs and its immense church bells.

The cathedral’s construction began in 1160 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely complete by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the following centuries. In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the French Revolution; much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. In the 19th century, the cathedral was the site of the coronation of Napoleon I and the funerals of many Presidents of the French Republic.

The cathedral was damaged during the First World War. In 1914 more than two dozen German shells hit the cathedral and the wooden scaffolding was set on fire, which in turn lit the oak of the roof. The lead used to seal the roof melted, which in turn set the wooden pews on fire. Stained glass windows and pillars and statuary were destroyed.

These vintage photographs show sandbags were stacked up against Notre Dame Cathedral to try and prevent the war damage.

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May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh Landed in Paris, Completing the World’s First Solo, Nonstop Transatlantic Flight

On May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris’ Le Bourget Field at 10:22 p.m. local time, completing the first solo, nonstop transatlantic flight.

Aboard The Spirit of St. Louis, Lindbergh flew from New York to Paris in a span of 33 ½ hours. He was greeted in Europe by a large crowd of up to 100,000. The journey totaled over 3,600 miles.

In recognition of the feat, Frenchman Raymond Orteig awarded Lindbergh the $25,000 Orteig Prize, the original check from which is preserved at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The prize was reserved for “the first first aviator to fly nonstop from Paris to New York or New York to Paris.”

Lindbergh, whom the museum characterizes as a “meticulous planner,” packed survival tools in the event of a crash. Among those items were a tins of rationed food, matches, hand flares and even a fishing line in case he needed to catch dinner. These items are on display at the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight Gallery Exhibit at the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

A year after his famous flight, Lindbergh gifted The Spirit of St. Louis to the Smithsonian in 1928. Flying it from St. Louis to Southeast Washington, The Spirit of St. Louis remained on display at the Arts and Industries Building, until it was moved to the Air and Space Museum in 1975.

Fascinating Color Photos Capture Street Scenes of Paris in the Mid-1960s

Not unlike its Western “great power” counterparts, 1960s France was a time of economic gains and social upheaval. The country rebuilt itself from the destruction wrought by World War II, becoming more prosperous and less reliant on countries like the United States along the way.

These fascinating color photos were taken by dianp that show street scenes of Paris in 1966.

Paris. Avenue de l'Opéra, 1966

Paris. “Le Beaulieu” bar, 1966

Paris. Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, 1966

Paris. Musée de Cluny, 1966

Paris. Notre-Dame de Paris, 1966

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Fascinating Photos of the Vespa Folklore Congress in 1954

LIFE photographer Dmitri Kessel capture scenes at the Vespa Folklore Congress held in Paris in 1954, with attendees in colorful regional costumes riding scooters:

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Vintage Pics of Marilyn Monroe and Her Husband Arthur Miller at the April in Paris Ball, 1957

Established in 1952 at the Waldorf Astoria New York in New York City, April in Paris Ball was an annual US gala event whose mission was to serve charity and Franco-American relations. It was the idea of Claude Philippe, the hotel's banquet manager, who enlisted Elsa Maxwell to help organize it.

The first event was a celebration of the 2,000th birthday of the city of Paris and was held in 1951. When it was decided to make the ball an annual event, the name was changed to the April in Paris Ball.

These beautiful pics captured moments of Marilyn Monroe and her husband playwright Arthur Miller at the April in Paris Ball, at the Waldorf-Astoria on April 11, 1957.

The ball benefited the French Hospital and several philanthropic French-American organizations in New York City.

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L’Orange Variee Perfume Presentation, ca. 1925

In about 1925, the Parisian perfumer Parfums de Marcy packaged its perfume in this unique arrangement. This L’Orange Variee perfume presentation was a peeled orange made up of painted composition which held 8 glass bottles in the shape of realistic orange segments, each with its own label. Each bottle was held in place by having the neck inserted into a metal frame concealed inside the simulated orange peel. The scents included were: Chypre, Amber, Heliotrope, Rose, Jessamine, Mayflower, Violet.

Parfums de Marcy was noted for its clever bottle designs. Established around 1910 possibly by Lazare Bloch at a small factory at Les Lilas after becoming more successful a shop was opened at 120 avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris. After the Second World War, the company was then affiliated with Societe Anonyme des Parfums Sidlay, with Paul Heymann as proprietor and true innovator.

Many high quality presentations were created such as Les Fleurs Miraculeuses, Le Bouquet Miraculeux, Le Bracelet Miraculeux, and Le Collier Miraculeux.

Trompe l’oeil perfume packaging was generally popular in the 1920s and ’30s, although faux citrus fruit was atypical.

(via Cleopatra's Boudoir)