The last peaceful summer of pre-war Paris, 1939
These photos are 80 years old this year. They were taken by LIFE magazine photographer William Vandiver during his business trip to the pre-war French capital. The people in the pictures do not suspect that this is the last peaceful summer of Paris and very soon their lives will turn upside down.
This was Paris in July 1939. Who recognized the place?
Cars at the Vendome column.
The autoflow flows around the Arc de Triomphe.
In the same place.
Advertising for the National Lottery.
In these cozy cafes, Parisians will sit through the entire occupation. Only, I probably had to drink ersatz coffee instead of natural.
Flower market.
At first I thought it was a flea market in the Warsaw Ghetto, but it turned out that it was also a pre-war Paris.
And this is already a classic - the stands of second-hand booksellers at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. It seems they still sell books there.
On the Place de la Concorde
Bastille Day parade on July 14. In less than a year, the Germans will be marching on the Champs-Elysees.
Keywords: Europe | Paris | Summer | History | Color photography | 30s