Some of you wonder how I sometimes manage to find some more or less odd places here in Paris. There are different ways; a mix of “just by chance”, by always looking to the right and the left, upwards and downwards with my new “blogger eyes”, by reading some books, by listening to friends ... and sometimes by “stealing” from others. This is the case today. Thanks to Catherine, “TheFive of Us”, and a message called “Kids of Paris”, I felt I had to go and see the place she posted about also “live”, actually fairly close to where I live.
So behind this very modern and neutral gate (43 bis rue Damrémont), today the address of a Medical Laboratory and some flats, you will find a corridor decorated by tiles, dated 1910 and designed by Francisque Poulbot (1879-1946). He was a well-known illustrator of especially the “Kids of Paris” as he saw them around Montmartre.
Here you can see one of his illustrations more in detail and also additional tiles further on in the corridor by an - at least to me - unknown artist.
Poulbot had his home - with some decorations - very near, which you also can see below. His “kids” have served as models for a lot of paintings and postcards made by other artists. Such illustrated kids are today often referred to as “poulbots”, but are of course - mostly - not the “real” ones.
Another entrance, very close, also draws your attention (103, rue Lamarck). “Peter & associés”. I’m not involved. This used to be a “Bains Douches”, a public bath until (almost) everybody got their own facilities. “Peter & Associés” seems to organise rallies of vintage cars. The walls are also here nicely decorated by tiles. 
I look forward to see some comments from our blogger friend and tiles artist, “SparkleMirror”.
This map may make it easier to find these places, if you are interested.
I wish you a nice weekend!
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43 comments:
What a wonderful find!! These tiles are absolutely delightful...keep these finds coming Peter, thanks for sharing too :-)
Wow - what a find and what excellent condition they are in. These originals have quite a charm, but it's true that they inspired a whole series of kitsch copies!
This an amazing find. Great photos of this very interesting place,
Les quatre saisons de Poulbot: y envoyer les gens qui râlent sur le climat du jour... sourires assurés.
Very nice, Peter... and thank you for alerting me to this delight! Look for an email requesting larger files to see these murals in greater detail... to find out (maybe you can tell me) if these are reliefs, or flat surfaces. I think I see a few clues of texture, the most prominent being in the 4th post photo from the top -- to the right is a girl with a jump rope, and at the edge of that frame to the left (of us) and below her I think that is light reflecting from texture in the grass. I really appreciate the close-up of the signature as I can see the crazing of the glaze... that kind of thing is exciting for me (from a century ago!).
I like these scenes because it depicts an everyday activity, kind of like the children you've photographed playing on the cobblestone streets of Montmartre...
Hmmm... Ok, now I'm getting an idea... I wonder if Peter would let me use his photo(s) to make my own tiles of such scenes from the same streets today?
Thanks again Peter for inviting me (and putting an actual reference to my invite in the post itself!)
David
Wow! How awesome are those tiles!
And I love those pillars too!
This is great, ain't it? To find some hidden spot with such deligthful artwork! Great post!
God bless you!
Cezar
Oh MY! What a hidden jewel behind those very ordinary doors. I suppose people walk past those tiles everyday and don't take much notice of them. If Mr SparkleMirror actually makes some tiles of his own following these designs, I hope he shows them to us!
Very interesting. I really enjoyed looking at them. thanks for sharing.
Peter,
This post had David written all over it. I see he's already found it and thinking how he can use the images! Won't that be fun when he actually shows us the tiles!
What an interesting post. Sometimes I think you might run out of ideas to photograph and then I think, " Oh it's Paris, Peter has an endless supply of photograph possibilities!" We can all sleep well tonight knowing you will be out there for a long , long time , bringing us new places to visit , virtually or in person! ( If I"m very lucky, I"ll get to follow you on some of these excursions!)
V
As soon as I saw these tiles I thought of David. It seems you did too.
I love coming here and seeing the hidden Paris.
Merci, Peter!!!
Toute ma vie ce quartier là...
Bonne journée et bon W-E Peter !
belle serie sur les dessins d'enfants, on pourrait se croire dans une eglise ou l'on fete les enfants. les dessins sont magnifiques
Never never let a good space go to waste ;) Artistic & Creative all over Paris ....very nice~
Je connaissais le post de Catherine mais je retrouve ces poulbots avec plaisir, celui qui montre l'accroc au fond de son pantalon est très drôle! Ce quartier est une mine, décidément. Bon weekend aussi!
Il y a de belles chose rue Danrémont. C'est fabuleux et les bains douches me rappelle qq chose.
très beau post Peter.
Amazing tile work. Loved precision of how they are fitted together to form beautiful designs
Interesting tile-work. Very colourful!
Je connais un immeuble qui va désormais être visité par tous les touristes qui viennent à Paris - et par quelque parisiens aussi. C'était quoi l'adresse encore? 43 bis rue de Damrémont!
Bon weekend!
I like such tiles! Thanks for sharing! They are all very original and interesting!
I am happy any way you find your secrets, as long as you share them with us.
Again, as my husband says, "it isn't fair" - so much in one city. But he and I say it with a smile and gratitude also.
Those are really lovely. I love how they go through all of the seasons.
hi i left a comment on one of your older blogs but i thought maybe this would be a better way to reach you. i came across your old post about Picpus cemetery and the ceremony that goes on there every 4th of July and i am extremely interested in going but it's tomorrow and i have no idea what time it is and so i was hoping you might have some information!
Anonymous:
No guarantee, but previous years it seems to have taken place at 11 am.
I love these tiles Peter! Amazing!
What a visual feast you have found. I enjoy seeing the tile but really love the Bains Douches doors and doorway. The passageway beyond the tilework with the flamingos just tempts one to go see where it leads.
How do you do it? Every one of your posts is just so amazing.
Am I wrong in thinking the tiles were already in place when painted upon?
So beautiful these tiles, Peter! You find many amazing issues for your blog. You always post wonderful photos and very nice places. You really did a good job here. Thank you!
PS: Me too, I would love to visit Serra da Canastra, but certainly only by walking!
Peter, Decorating with tiles is an exquisite form of art and it seems that each country (and artist) puts an original and unique stamp on them. I've been quite taken by Mexican tiles and have been delighted by tiles a Portugese blogger sometimes includes on his. The "storybook" tiles you included here are also uniquely different and wonderful to behold.
Absolutely gorgeous! What a wonderful find!
Wow! these are truly marvelous!
Fantastic corridor, so unusual! And the white frames are awesome too!
Bains-Douches was a famous disco in the 80s. Is it still open these days?
Anne:
Thanks, I will do my best! :-)
Adam:
Yes, Catherine found something really nice! :-)
James:
Well I didn't find it by myself! :-)
Thérèse:
Bonne idée! :-)
SparkleMirror:
I hoped you would be interested! ... and of course you can use my photos as much as you like... and I will send you some! You just have to ask! :-)
Mona:
You are right, the pillars are quite nice also! :-)
Cezar:
Thanks ... and nice vacations! I understand you are leaving for a while! :-)
Shammickite:
As you said, I hope we will se something nice - again - by SparkleMirror! :-)
Leonora:
I'm happy to share! :-)
Virginia:
You know, there are hundreds of churches, tens of bridges, thousands of streets... ! :-)
Belette Rouge:
Thanks for coming here! :-)
Carole:
Tu peux me donner d'autres idées sur le quartier? :-)
Olivier:
Oui, ça fait plaisir de voir! :-)
Shionge:
Still a lot to discover! :-)
Alice:
... alors, j'ai montré les détails du bon! :-)
Claude:
Tu ne parles pas de la boîte? :-)
Rajesh:
Nice work indeed! :-)
Ash:
I can't but agree! :-)
hpy:
Pour le moment, tous les touristes ne viennent pas sur mon blog! :-)
m_m:
Happy you like them! :-)
Ruth:
Nice that you accept that I sometimes "steal"! :-)
Emm:
Yes, all seasons have some nice days! :-)
Tanya:
I guess we all must like them! They are nice, aren't they? :-)
Karen:
Yes, the entrance of the "Bains Doches" was really nice also! :-)
Starman:
I think you are wrong, but I'm not an expert! Aske SparkleMirror! :-)
Sonia:
Walking is the best way to discover places!
Kate:
It's clear if you go to Spain, Portugal, Latin America, you will find some fantastic tiles, all over the place! :-)
Heather:
I guess we all agree! :-)
Rakesh:
... and you obviously agree also! :-)
JM:
Yes, it's still there! Haven't been there for some time! :-)
You are a genius Peter and also a great story teller.
Through these tiles you have shown us many stories.
Would wait for the day when you take us to the place where these tiles are made or thought upon.
Loved this post.
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