Anon. Figures on the Quay near the Pont Neuf, Paris

An original 1820s watercolour painting Figures on the Quay near the Pont Neuf, Paris.

A charming drawing in brown ink and wash illustrating a bustling everyday scene near the Pont Neuf on the Seine around 1820. The Pont Neuf was the first open bridge in Paris, allowing unimpeded crossing of the river, and it therefore attracted all manner of performers and street sellers, peddling their wares and services in inventive ways. Here we see what appears to be drink-selling, foot-washing and dog grooming—a scene of industry but with an atmosphere of leisure, animated by colourful costumes and convivial interactions.

This drawing is one of a charming set of four scenes of French society in the 1820s that we have for sale, executed by an English hand. Following the end of Robespierre’s Reign of Terror in 1794, French society began to stabilise and Parisians engaged in a new consumer culture. The artist captures a sense of fun and recreation in the everyday life that was newly playing out in Paris's urban spaces. The new bourgeoisie was reinventing the lifestyle of leisure in the city's streets, galleries and gardens. The artist also suggests that this conviviality extends to Paris's street sellers, newly profiting from this urban development, and to the local inhabitants of Dieppe, a newly popular seaside retreat away from the capital.