Wallace fountains - bis

There were rather few comments on the « Wallace fountain » (May 10), so I’m coming back to it. I feel that this gift by Sir Richard Wallace to the Parisians some 135 years ago is really something worth noticing. My previous photo was of a fountain that someone had painted in pink. Here is a clean one; there are more than hundred around. Look at the details! … and they are all operational – free, fresh water!
There is also a junior model. I guess there must be thousands of those.

Wallace fountain

In 1872, an Englishman, Sir Richard Wallace, living in Paris and having inherited a large fortune from his father and who among other charitable things founded a hospital, decided also to offer water to the Parisians. Because of war and the « commune » events, the water system had been partly destroyed. Water had become scarce and expensive.


He created – his own design - what is still known as Wallace fountains. There are still some 100 of them around in Paris – and you can still drink the water. Here you can see one. The original colour should be dark green. Someone obviously preferred it pink. I hope it can find its original colour soonest.