“Mouron! Fresh mouron for your feathered friends!” This cry, once common on the streets of Paris, echoes the memory of a trade long gone. While we stand on Avenue du Travail, it’s hard to imagine such humble commerce. Avenue du Travail, as its name suggests, has always been linked to the Parisian workforce. Yet, long before its modern incarnation, the very streets of Paris were a workplace for many. These weren’t the grand avenues and boulevards, but a bustling world of forgotten trades.
One such trade was the “marchand de mouron,” selling chickweed, a common herb, to feed birds. It speaks to a different pace of life, a time when even simple pleasures like bird feeding were a source of income. Then, there were the “chiffonniers,” rummaging through garbage for recyclables. Considered dirty and undesirable, they were the city’s early recyclers, their lives a stark contrast to the elegance we associate with Paris.
These forgotten souls, the “marchands d’arlequins” selling meals from leftovers, the “porteuses de pains” delivering bread before dawn, are woven into the fabric of Avenue du Travail’s story. They remind us that behind the grandeur, lies the spirit of hard work, a spirit that continues to define this city. So as we walk along Avenue du Travail, let’s remember those who toiled in the shadows, for they, too, shaped the soul of Paris.