Water Tap, Wallace fountain in Paris, France
Robinet d'eau is a Wallace fountain in Paris, a cast iron public drinking fountain set on a small pedestal and topped with a domed roof held up by four carved female figures. It connects to the city water network and delivers free drinking water from a small spout into a shallow basin below.
Richard Wallace, a British philanthropist, donated a series of these fountains to Paris starting in 1872, after the war of 1870 left the city with a serious water shortage. The first one was placed on the Boulevard de la Villette, and sculptor Charles-Auguste Lebourg designed the figures that became the standard model.
The Wallace fountains have a dark green color that Napoleon III chose for Paris street furniture to create a consistent look across public spaces. The four female figures holding up the dome each represent a different virtue, and if you look closely, every statue has a slightly different pose and face.
The fountains are spread across the city, often at busy street corners or on small squares, making them easy to spot during a walk. The water is safe to drink, and some newer models have a button to start the flow rather than a continuous stream.
The original models came with tin cups attached by a chain so passersby could drink without bending down to the spout. Those cups were removed in 1952 for hygiene reasons, and since then people drink directly from the stream. More recently, a handful of fountains have been fitted with a fine mist system that sprays a cool vapor on hot days.
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