#theparismorgue

[ourdeliverance]

A photograph of the Paris Morgue circa La Belle Époque (The Beautiful Era, Late 19th century).

[ourdeliverance]

Morgue De Paris

(19th century Paris’ definition of family fun.)

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The Paris Morgue was opened for the public in 1864 with the intention of identifying Jane/John Doe’s who were found in the Seine, streets, hospitals, and other local facilities of the city.

This was done by putting bodies on a window display for citizens to view at will.

The bodies were removed after three days because of decomposition and a lack of preservation techniques. The body would often be replaced by a wax cast or photograph.

Police would contribute to the identification effort by staging what the confrontation between the suspect and victim may have looked like.

By the 1880’s, the morgue became Paris’ most popular tourist attraction, averaging over 40,000 visitors, from across Western Europe, on a daily basis.

Its popularity was attributed to morbid curiosity and Paris’ lack of free entertainment in the 19th century.

The morgue was closed in 1907 due to backlash on its morality. Concerns included the fact that the bodies were displayed in nude and many of the victims happened to be young women. There was also the issue of street vendors and journalists who profited off of the morgue and turned it into a circus of death.