Conquering the night: when France lit up

It appears that we are rightly worried today, out of ecological concern, about the excess of light which floods our cities from evening onwards. It is easy to understand the reason for such concern, as well as its validity. But we realize at the same time that it is a complete reversal in relation to the past, which pushes us to retrace a long contrary chronicle: that of the obstinate efforts which have been made, throughout the last centuries, to conquer the darkness of city nights.

Since the reign of Louis Certainly, this may have aroused the regret of poets and lovers… But we must note, in fact without surprise, that their influence in society was destined not to resist the concerns of public order. These went to the point of obsession, in the face of the dangers which arose at night, in the streets and in the courtyards of buildings.

That there was always an element of fantasy there is obvious, but the dangers were for a long time very real for night walkers: bad blows from scarps and thugs, the effectiveness of the pocket emptyers at the exit restaurants, threats from drunken prowlers and pimps monitoring the prostitutes who solicited in dark corners. Not to mention the simple difficulty of getting around for all night crews subject to the risk of invisible obstacles.

Sophie Reculindoctor in modern history from the University of Lille, had the good idea to look into this subject, for the benefit from a very recent book. We find, throughout the pages, a chronicle of the evolution of lighting techniques and also, as a bonus, on the side of song and literature, the endearing corporation, which was durable, of streetlight lighters .

DISTRIBUTED ARCHIVES

• Excerpt from The work by Emile Zola (1886), read by Laure-Hélène Planchez in the program “Surprised by the night” devoted to “Lumières de la ville” by David Batty, broadcast on France culture, November 6, 2002.
• Song “He lit the street lamps” performed by Colette Mars in 1947 (lyrics by Jean Delettre, music by Nat Simon).
• Extract from an anonymous memoir on the illumination of the city of Rennes in the first half of the 18th century (departmental archives of Ille-et-Vilaine), read by Daniel Kenigsberg, published in Le cours de l'histoire by Xavier Mauduit on France culture on June 1, 2021.
• Poem “Evening Twilight” by Charles Baudelaire (Spleen and Ideal1857), said by Denis Lavant in 2014.
• Extract from Little Prince (“The Streetlight Lighter”) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943), recording from 1957, with the voices of Gérard Philipe, Georges Poujouly and Pierre Larquey.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Sophie Reculin, The invention of public lighting in France. From illuminated night to illuminated night 1697-1789Presses universitaire du Nord, 2024.
• Alain Cabantous, History of the night: 17th-18th centuryFayard, 2009.
• Jean Verdon, Night in the Middle AgesPerrin, 1994.
• Simone Delattre, The twelve dark hours, Night in Paris in the 19th centuryAlbin Michel, 2003.
• Antoine de Baecque, Parisian Nights. 18th-21st centuryThreshold, 2015.
• Sophie Reculin, “The establishment and diffusion of public illumination in Rennes in the 18th century”, Annals of Brittany and Western Countries [En ligne]120-4 | 2013.
• Sophie Reculin, “The invention of public lighting in Europe in the 17th-18th centuries”, Encyclopedia of Digital History of Europe [en ligne]ISSN 2677-6588, , posted online on 04/25/22.
• Sophie Reculin, “Were city dwellers afraid of the night in the 18th century? », Encyclopedia of digital history of Europe [en ligne]ISSN 2677-6588, posted online on 07/20/22.
• Darrin M.McMahon and Sophie Reculin, “An Enlightenment entrepreneur. Paris in the 18th century”, L’Histoire, No. 435, May 2017.