R. P. Jonquet / Henri de Noussanne - Montmartre autrefois et aujourd'hui / Paris sous Louis XVI et Paris aujourd'hui - 1890-1900

Set of two works on Paris:

- R. P. Jonquet. Montmartre in the past and today. Paris, Dumoulin, Bureau du Sanctuaire, sd [circa 1890], 348 pp.

A quarto volume (280x200 mm), half morocco, spine with raised bands, gilded head (binding of the period). Fine condition of the binding. Interior fresh, no foxing.

Original edition

The author traces the history of Montmartre from its rural and religious character to its gradual transformation into a district integrated into the capital. A significant emphasis is placed on the history of the site and its role in the spiritual and historical life of Paris.

The work particularly highlights the religious monuments and sites of Montmartre, notably the Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart, whose history is closely linked to the religious renewal of the late 19th century. Father Jonquet also recalls the old traditions, streets and urban transformations that have altered the appearance of the hill. The contrast between old Montmartre, a village with mills and still rural spaces, and the modern quarter constitutes one of the main throughlines of the narrative.

- Henri de Noussanne. Paris under Louis XVI and Paris today. Paris, Firmin-Didot, 1900, xx-296 pp.

An octavo volume (250x160 mm), half morocco, spine with raised bands (binding of the period). Fine condition of the binding. Interior fresh, no foxing.

Original illustrated edition with 137 engravings after XVIIIth-century engravings

The author offers a comparison between Paris at the end of the Ancien Régime and the capital as it presented itself at the beginning of the 20th century. The work invites the reader to measure the profound urban, social and political transformations that occurred between the reign of Louis XVI and the contemporary era.

Through evocation of streets, monuments, districts and daily life, the author juxtaposes the Paris of old and that of his time. The French Revolution, the great works of the 19th century and the expansion of the city have profoundly changed the face of the capital. This comparison allows one to recover traces of the vanished Paris while stressing the changes that have shaped the modern metropolis.