In the Parisian Prostitutes series we met la gigolette. (” …She is the mistress of the garroters of La Vilette or the stabbers of Grenelle. She it is who beguiles the passer-by, decoys him into an ambush, and she whistles for her souteneur, who rushes up with his companions “to do for the cove”…) Now let me introduce you to la gigolette’s male counterpart: the Apache.
In the Victorian times, Paris suffered an overwhelming criminality – 48 times stronger than that of today. Eight thousand policemen faced some 30 thousand mobile gang members in addition to other criminals. Known for their fierceness, the gangs were called Apaches. Moving only in groups, these young men from disadvantaged neighborhoods employed swindle, street robbery, and pimping. They were recognizable by the “doe eye”, a small tattoo around the eyes and their attire consisted of bell pants, a half-opened jacket revealing a jersey or a crumpled shirt, cap on head, and meticulously polished shoes.
The Apache culture included original weapons and combat techniques best described in the website The Dirty Tricks of the French Apache.
The Apache Danse is a cultural heritage equal to the famous can-can. The performance of a dominating male and an abused female was very violent and sometimes caused injury to the dancers.
Related posts:
Parisian Prostitutes (2): La Gigolette
This is so informative, thank you! I know I’m a couple years late (only just found your blog), but is there any chance you remember where you found the “Comment on vous tue” image? I can’t seem to track it down, but it’s so interesting!
LikeLike
My pictures usually come from La Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. I don’t remember anymore where to find this one. There is a trick for picture search on the Internet: right-click on a picture and choose Search Google with this image from the menu. Hope this helps.
LikeLike