An attack on a police wagon. Criminal gangs were the scourge of Paris
It was never easy to police Paris. Parisians, instead of being glad for the help and protection, have always despised their policemen. The contempt has been profound and general. It could be that Parisians, more than most, don’t want to be told how to behave. A strike, a riot, a revolution, have been their tools of political and social change across the 19th century and well beyond. To say that policing during the Belle Epoque (1870 – 1914) was a martyrdom would be a slight exaggeration, but it was a very hard job on a tiny salary. The police staff were recruited mostly from the army, and the discipline in the police corps was just as strict, if not stricter. The recruits had to have no criminal record. According to the 1880s tariff, a policeman earned 4 francs and 75 cents for an eleven and a half-hour day. In comparison, a maid-of-all-work touched one franc a day. For that pitiful wage, the men had to risk their lives in many wild scenarios that are nowadays shared among different rescue services. In 1884, for example, the statistics show one killed policeman and 144 injured.
Let’s have a look at a policeman’s day and the variety of crimes committed in that era:
Strikes of all sorts are still part of the urban life in Paris
Belle Epoque Paris faced the threat of various anarchist bomb-throwers. Bombs exploded in the National Assembly, in police stations, in cafés, or simply in the street. Premature explosions also happened, as in this picture
The public, accustomed to the explosion of anarchists’ bombs, reacts to a malfunctioning motorcar
Police had to deal with the raging crowd when a hated criminal was transported. Here they protect Jeanne Weber, a serial child killer
Arrest of the Sirène de Reuilly. Marie-Thérèse de Gordoue, or simply Gourdon in real life, was a successful courtesan and the head of a large crime organization
Criminal gang members, suspected of snitching, were separated from their noses during a surgery without anesthesia
Shopkeepers, working alone, were often victims of robbery and murder
The Bois de Boulogne on the outskirts of the city continues to this day to be the playground of vice and crime. From time to time, the authorities ordered a thorough cleanup.
A police raid in a “hôtel de passe”. These establishments rented rooms on the hour. Considered immoral, they were often visited by the police. Men went scot-free but women caught in the raid were transported to the police depot, and from there to the Saint-Lazare female prison
Escapes and roof chases kept the policemen in good physical condition
The police operated at various height levels. A pickpocket plucked from a tree
At the commissariat, a thief surrenders a watch he had swallowed
Family drama: The father is not dead yet, but the fierce competition among the siblings is already in a full swing
A police commissaire is seriously injured in a Paris riot
Another victim of duty, an undercover police officer is shot in front of the Moulin Rouge
Acts of bravery and dedication abounded despite the public contempt for policemen
Fantastic post! Where did you find those illustrations? I really enjoyed this and am about to dive into more Victorian Paris. Thank you so much for the research and enjoyable content. Great blog!!
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Madelon-la-Belle left Paris twenty years ago to escape her damaged reputation. She abandoned her infant daughter, Louise, in the care of her sister. Now she is back, a wealthy widow, and she plans to be a caring mother. Her idea of caring motherhood is to make Louise a high-born heiress. It only needs a little deception.This does not sit well with Louise’s father, Captain d’Artagnan of the Royal Musketeers, who finds Madelon’s plan unsound. He wants to see Louise married as soon as possible, before she becomes a slut like her mother, and has already found a good husband for her. Unfortunately, the formidable Madelon does not agree with d’Artagnan’s choice. A battle of wills ensues, involving d’Artagnan’s long-lost friends, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. A comedy based on Alexandre Dumas’s classic novel The Three Musketeers.
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Fantastic post! Where did you find those illustrations? I really enjoyed this and am about to dive into more Victorian Paris. Thank you so much for the research and enjoyable content. Great blog!!
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