A date. A first name. “1764 Nicholas”. The inscription is carved deep into the stone, on the exterior face of a pillar. Place des Vosges, in the Parisian Marais district, you don't have to hurry to discover it. This curious graffiti could seem very insignificant to the passing person. However, it is one of the anecdotes told by dozens of specialized sites, fond of unusual little stories.
Hundreds of inscriptions left by the writer
Many people attribute this centuries-old inscription to the Icaunais writer Nicolas Restif de la Bretonne (1734-1806), a native of Sacy. The culprit seems to have been found. The similarity of the first name quickly makes him a potential suspect.
And above all, the author had adopted this unfortunate habit of engraving hundreds of inscriptions on the stone in the capital, using a key or wrought iron. He made no secret of it and had carefully transcribed all of his graffiti in his diary, simply called More registrations (sic).
“It’s disturbing”
“Restif liked to engrave a date and a few words in Latin,” confirms Pierre Testud, founder of the Rétif de la Bretonne scholarly society. Graffiti created to remember your moods and thoughts of the moment.
