Water Resistance in Eighteenth-Century Paris

This paper uses water to explore the theme of resistance from two angles. First, it considers the business of public baths starting with Jean Poitevin in 1761. In order to succeed, Poitevin had to rebrand water as a source of comfort, hygiene, and well-being. His business reflected a new consensus about the medical and moral benefits of bathing in the urban environment. In contrast to the culture of cleanliness and decency of the bath boats, the Seine also offered a site for resistance. Since 1716, the crown had outlawed bathing in the Seine. Despite the edict, police inspectors reported incidents of men bathing nude in the river and socializing along the quais as they dressed. These popular rites of bathing, free and unregulated, offered an alternative vision of the body and the use of the river. Through the topics of business and bathing, the paper considers how access to and exploitation of water reflected social struggles over space and resources in the city.