The Vanishing Chimney Sweeps of Paris 



On account of the 

 modern construc- 

 tion of chimneys in 

 larger cities the day 

 of the chimney 

 sweep is about over. 

 But occasionally one 

 encounters him even 

 in Paris. Here one 

 is seen preparing to 

 clean a baker's oven 



Below: The little 

 chimney sweep was 

 formerly a familiar 

 sight, and his shrill 

 call "O-o, O-o! 

 Void le ratnon- 

 eur!" (Here is the 

 chimney sweep) was 

 one of the accus- 

 tomed early morn- 

 ing noises of the city 



With his tight-fit- 

 ting cap pulled 

 down over his head 

 and his soot bag 

 fastened at his side 

 the little gamin 

 begins his work at 

 about three or four 

 o'clock in the morn- 

 ing so that he will 

 have finished and 

 disappeared from 

 sight by the time 

 folks are astir. 



An older man, 

 called the "patron," 

 accompanies the 

 gamin, making his 

 contracts and over- 

 seeing his work. 

 Where the chimney 

 is too small for the 

 boy to enter, his 

 "porcupine" brush 

 is lowered into it. 

 Its stiff outstanding 

 bristles scrub the 

 walls mechanically 



When the sweeping 

 is over the soot is 

 brushed into a bag 

 and carted away. 

 The gamin requires 

 only about ten min- 

 utes to clean out 

 the largest and dirt- 

 iest of chimneys. 

 His patron receives 

 the remuneration, 

 which grows less 

 and less with the 

 progress of time 



174 



