These public water fountains that appear in the form of small cast-iron sculptures are found all around the city and are recognized worldwide as one of the symbols of Paris. Called Les Fountaines Wallace, they are named after Sir Richard Wallace, a wealthy English art collector, who financed and designed them. Wallace inherited a large fortune from his father and decided that the Parisians, his adopted countrymen, should profit from it.After many aqueducts were damaged or destroyed in the Franco-Prussian War and also as a result of a two-month coup by the Paris’ socialist government in 1871, most of the poor citizens of Paris could not get water without having to pay for it. Wallace, a very reserved philanthropist, decided that fountains
were a way to help those people resist the temptation to quench their thirst with alcohol. He contracted Charles-Auguste Lebourg, a sculptor from Nantes, France who improved his sketches to make the fountains true works of art. The four sculpted female figures, representing charity, kindness, sobriety, and simplicity, are different from the others by the way their knees are bent and by where their tunics are tucked into their blouse. They were installed around Paris in 1872.The fountains distribute perfectly potable water to this day although they are turned off between November 15 and March 15 because freezing can harm the internal plumbing. They are regularly maintained and repainted in their discreet dark green color every two years. Several different sizes and models of fountains were produced and 75+ still exist around the city of Paris. Approximately 20 others are located in other parts of the world. An article I read a few months ago, in fact, said that there’s a working one near the UCLA campus in LA but I can’t confirm this. Over the years, some were purchased by collectors and celebrities, like Maurice Chevalier and Brigitte Bardot, so I suspect that as they get sold or passed along, they could end up anywhere.
Not only did the fountains accomplish Wallace’s philosophy of lending a helping hand but they still serve Paris with their beauty and discreetness. They have endured for more than a century, even respected by the Nazis who melted down a number of other statues here to make arms. As well as the fountains, Sir Wallace also founded a hospital in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War; and because of his popularity with the French, he is buried at Pere-Lachaise cemetery with many other important figures.
