At the end of the Second World War, most Parisians were living in misery. Industry was ruined, housing was in short supply, and food was rationed. The population of Paris did not return to its 1936 level until 1946, and grew to 2,850,000 by 1954, including 135,000 immigrants, mostly from Algeria, Morocco, Italy and Spain. The exodus of middle-class Parisians to the suburbs continued. The population of the city declined during the 1960s and 1970s (2,753,000 in 1962, 2.3 million in 1972) before finally stabilizing in the 1980s (2,168,000 in 1982, 2,152,000 in 1992).
In the 1950s and 1960s, the city underwent a massive reconstruction, with the addition of new highways, skyscrapers, and thousands of new apartment blocks.
These fascinating color photos were taken by
Nick DeWolf that show street scenes of Paris in May 1959.
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| Paris. Champs-Élysées, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Boucherie Chevaline, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Cavalry, French Republican Guard, near the Gare d’Orléans, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Chez Maxime, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Church of the Val-de-Grâce, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Fontaines de la Concorde, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Fontaines de la Concorde, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Kiosk, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Kiosk, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Marly Horse, Place de la Concorde, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Moulin Rouge at night, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Notre-Dame at night, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Notre-Dame, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Notre-Dame, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Obelisk of Luxor, Place de la Concorde, May 1959 |
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| Paris. On the banks of the river Seine, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Port des Champs-Élysées, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Statue de Lille, Place de la Concorde, May 1959 |
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| Paris. The Panthéon, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Tomb of the unknown soldier, Arc de Triomphe, May 1959 |
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| Paris. Triperie, May 1959 |
(Photo © Nick DeWolf)
