A Place Holder Today
Wednesday, 10 October 2018
On Monday, I published a short post about why I had no time to write a story for that day. Now there has been a different kind of disruption that prevents me from getting something useful – or, at least, entertaining – done for today. More on that in a day or two or three or so.
Meanwhile, here is a fascinating video I found of moving pictures of Paris in 1900. the YouTube page tells us:
”A collection of high quality remastered prints from the dawn of film taken in Belle Époque-era Paris, France from 1896-1900. Slowed down footage to a natural rate and added in sound for ambiance. These films were taken by the Lumière company.”
I don't care much for the added audio, but that doesn't make the film any less interesting. Here is a list of what you will see at what time in the video:
0:08 - Notre-Dame Cathedral (1896)
0:58 - Alma Bridge (1900)
1:37 - Avenue des Champs-Élysées (1899)
2:33 - Place de la Concorde (1897)
3:24 - Passing of a fire brigade (1897)
3:58 - Tuileries Garden (1896)
4:48 - Moving walkway at the Paris Exposition (1900)
5:24 - The Eiffel Tower from the Rives de la Seine à Paris (1897)
And here is the video:
A few weeks ago I featured another video from this company, of New York City in 1911. You'll find it here.
Very coo video!
Posted by: JeanR | Wednesday, 10 October 2018 at 07:32 AM
How charming...........and I never thought of Paris being so busy with all the horses and carts.
Really wonderful to see how the upper classes got about. I guess the lower classes might not have been so picturesque. Thanks, and now for a peek at "New York, New York, that toddlin' town....."
Posted by: Salinda Dahl | Wednesday, 10 October 2018 at 08:18 AM
Seems luscious to have so few people there. And yes, Salinda, I wondered about the lower classes or were they dressed up to go out too? It made me think of Dublin and Ulysses and at that number of people, it makes the story of running into all sorts of characters more understandable. Thanks.
Posted by: James Cotter | Wednesday, 10 October 2018 at 08:57 AM
It all looks like a Sunday afternoon, with everyone so dressed up. Loved the boys with the very elaborate model sailboats.
Posted by: Susan R (Pied Type) | Wednesday, 10 October 2018 at 09:08 AM
I spent a month in Paris two years ago mid-October-mid-November, and love love love seeing this video. The horse buggy/wagon traffic was very impressive.
Posted by: Elane Dickenson | Wednesday, 10 October 2018 at 09:45 AM
I switched over to the other video you suggested and spent the past hour watching one after the other.
I found something that nobody else seemed to know about when I mentioned it except a late aunt of mine.
When I was in grade school, we saluted the flag by pointing to it with an outstretched arm. It looks very much like the Nazi salute. Apparently others thought so too, so in 1942 it was replaced by the right hand placed over the heart. The video called it the Bellamy salute after the man who began it.
It was worth the hour's viewing to find out I wasn't imagining it.
Posted by: Estelle D | Wednesday, 10 October 2018 at 10:15 AM
I loved watching the Paris and NewYork old videos. Life was different as well as our dress, people dressed in their finery as they say as today it is pretty casual.
Thanks
Posted by: Marilyn | Wednesday, 10 October 2018 at 11:47 AM
Looking at the New York video, I was struck by two things.
First... we usually focus on changes, but a great deal about a city doesn't change over the course of a century. The bones are still there, you can recognize them -- the street layouts, many of the same buildings and bridges and other bits of infrastructure.
Second... it is fascinating to watch motorcars on the same streets with all the horse-and-buggy transportation that was still handling the basic logistics of running a city. A moment of transition -- it's very obvious why, back then, cars were still being called "horseless carriages."
I couldn't help thinking of a similar phrase we are using today: "driverless cars."
Posted by: Sylvia | Thursday, 11 October 2018 at 07:22 AM