1874 Bernardine-Bechet Pocket Map of Paris, France

This is a highly attractive 1874 Bernadine-Bechet tourist pocket map of Paris, France. This map, based on earlier maps by J. N. Henriot, covers the embastilled center of Paris and the immediate vicinity. The city is divided by color coding into 20 arrondissments. Important buildings and monuments are shown in profile. Trains entering and leaving the city are also drawn in profile - a charming embellishment. The eiffel Tower, built in 1889, is not featured here. A street index, with most major and minor streets labeled, appears to the right and left of the map proper.
europe at this time was entered the Belle epoque – a golden age of artistic, scientific, and social advancement largely centered on Paris. The city itself had just undergone a major urban renewal project under the direction of Baron Georges-eugene Haussmann. This project, begun in 1853 and completed in 1870, call for new regularly updated maps of Paris. The use of the term 'Nouveau Plan de Paris' for most maps published during and shortly after this period thus become common. Haussmann's renovations transformed the mediaeval city and created the Paris we know and love today – a city of broad spacious boulevards and lively street side cafes.