Origin and history
The cabaret of Father Lunette, located at 4 rue des Anglais in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, was founded around 1840 by a certain Lefèvre, nicknamed "Le Père Lunette". Located in a narrow shop of 11 meters by 3, it quickly became a night attraction of the Maubert Square district, renowned for its dubious but fascinating atmosphere. Its interior decor, composed of satirical murals and political cartoons, made it a unique place, frequented by writers, artists as well as marginal figures or royal personalities in search of Parisian exoticism.
Between 1840 and 1908, the cabaret changed several times, including Étienne ( 1850s), Louis Pierre Berry (from 1870), and Paul Aldéricque Mary and his wife Élisabeth Fonfride, known as the "Mère Lunette" (circa 1880). Jean Chanson, nephew of the latter, took over in 1891 until the final closure in 1908. The place was under police surveillance due to frequent fights, but this did not affect its popularity. It was part of the "Tournée des Grands-ducs", a route from the Parisian lowlands where foreign princes, such as the great-ducs of Russia or the future Edward VII of England, came to chant.
The back office, nicknamed "the Senate" or "the museum", was decorated with murals depicting political figures (Victor Hugo, Louise Michel, Georges Clemenceau), erotic or satirical scenes, and regular clients. These works, signed by artists like H. Témarral or Julien Grenault, reflected the social and political tensions of the time, mixing republicanism, anarchism and criticism of elites. Some paintings, such as those of Louise Michel or Father Lunette himself, were preserved and restored after their rediscovery in 1999.
The cabaret inspired a number of writers and artists, including Émile Zola, among whom L-Assommoir (1877) could be inspired, or Joris-Karl Huysmans, who described it without concession. Poets such as Ferdinand Fantin made verses there, and songwriters such as Aristide Bruant quoted him in their works. After its closure in 1908, the paintings were partly dispersed, but the remaining paintings, classified as historical monument in 2007, were restored. Today, the place houses a bookshop, keeping a trace of its tumultuous past.
The cabaret also witnessed the political upheavals of his time, such as the Commune of Paris (1871), during which Louise Michel, an anarchist figure, recruited support. Its clientele, composed of workers, prostitutes, filous and intellectuals, made it a microcosm of the Paris society of the late 19th century, between misery and bohemian. The murals, often provocative, reflected this social and ideological mix, while criticizing the powers in place.
In 2007, the City of Paris purchased the building to preserve the painted decorations, entrusting its management to the SEMAEST. After restoration, the site first hosted a space dedicated to cultural commerce, then, since 2022, the publisher ediSens, who installed a bookshop-office there. Today's visible paintings, signed notably by Julien Grenault, offer a rare example of Parisian civil decorations prior to 1914, escaping the dominant religious or military themes.
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