Painted in 1889, Grandjean's Le Boulevard des Italiens captures the spirit of a nascent Belle Époque Paris. The scene is a contemporary portrayal of the daily hustle and bustle of a city reborn under Baron Haussman in the 1860's, to order, exuberance and splendor. The immaculate, wide tree-lined boulevard and spacious square, the imposing facades, and the busy and prosperous population all give test.mes nt to Parisians' embrace of their newly modern city.

The present work is the second depiction by Grandjean of Le Boulevard des Italiens, the first one dating from 1876 showing a much busier city, only five years after the Franco-Prussian War (Fig 1).

By 1889, Paris had recaptured its confidence and joie de vivre. Prosperity is suggested by several private carriages and their occupants, omnibuses, hansom cabs, the odd tricycle and leisurely pedestrians, all serenely moving under the benevolent eye of a gendarme, are a pleasure to contemplate.

Le Boulevard des Italiens is not only a painting of consummate skill but a topographical and social document of exceptional interest. At right, the Pavillion de Hanovre housing the Orfevrerie Christofle identifies the location as 33, Boulevard des Italiens, and rue Louis-le-Grand. The building was built by Cardinal Richelieu between 1758-1760 and was moved to the park of Sceaux in 1932 to make way for Palais Berlitz. In its current location, the pavilion is missing one floor and presents a symmetry of the left and right facades.

This beloved boulevard was later celebrated in canvases by Gustave Caillebotte, and above all in Camille Pissarro’s series of views of 1897.

Edmond Georges Grandjean was a painter of genre scenes and portraits. He entered the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris in October, 1862, and was a pupil of d'Yvon (1817-1893), Signol (1804-1892) and Pils (1813-1875). Grandjean began exhibiting at the Paris Salon in 1865. The present work was exhibited twice at the Salon, in 1889 and in 1903, a test.mes nt to its popularity with the public and critics.

• 

  An advertisement for Le Petit journal, one of the major daily Parisian newspapers, published from 1863 to 1944.
  

• 

  At the intersection of rue de La Michodière and boulevard des Italiens.
  

• 

  Passengers riding a horse-drawn double-decker omnibus on the Madeleine-Bastille route, one of the most popular lines and common means of transportation before the introduction of motor vehicles.
  

• 

  The Pavillon de Hanovre at right identifies the location as 33, Boulevard des Italiens, and rue Louis-le-Grand. The building was built by Cardinal Richelieu between 1758-1760 and once housed the Orfèvrerie Christofle.