Morris Column of Paris, Place Pigalle, 9th arrt. © French Moments
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Last Updated: 16 February 2022

The Morris column (colonne Morris in French) is a tall and elegant dark green advertising column. Placed at regular intervals on the Paris pavement, the cylindrical structure has been an iconic element of Parisian street furniture for generations.

While researching the topic, I found out that the Morris column first appeared in Paris in 1868. Today Morris columns are found in almost every French town and even in other parts of the world such as in San Francisco! Let’s find out more…

 

The battle against wild posting

Cadum Advertisement at 3 Boulevard Montmartre Paris © French Moments
Cadum Advertisement at 3 Boulevard Montmartre, 9th arrt of Paris © French Moments

The first advertising columns appeared in Berlin, Germany in 1855. They were invented by German printer Ernst Litfaß (1816-1874) and known as Litfaßsäulen or Litfaß columns. 

During that time, wild posting was taking over the streets of Paris. This was due to the rapid development of entertainment venues: theatres, music-halls, cabarets… In the mid-19th century, advertising was not regulated. Consequently posters were found everywhere: on the walls of buildings, on fences, on trees, and particularly on the “colonnes moresques” or “colonnes rambuteau” (urinals inside a hollow pillar). The exterior walls of the urinal columns were conveniently covered with advertising posters.

This photo from around 1865 shows the colonne moresque with a poster advertising a French perfume store:

vespasienne urinoir Paris
A public urinal inside a Rambuteau column, Paris ca.1865. The exterior of the pillar was used to display advertising posters – here the virtue of French perfume!!!

Another [more explicit!] water painting by Charles Hoguet (circa 1860) gives an idea of the colonnes mauresques that were found across in Paris until the creation of the Morris column. Notice the advertising posters which surround the entire column:

Colonne Mauresque in Paris circa 1860 Waterpainting by Charles Hoguet
Colonne Mauresque in Paris circa 1860 Water painting by Charles Hoguet

 

The birth of the Morris column

On the 1st August 1868, French printer Gabriel Morris and his son Richard Gabriel won the competition launched by the City of Paris for the concession of exclusive advertising space. They noticed that the urine smell strongly repelled the passers-by (I guess many would have said the same!). Anyway they thought it through and suggested to separate the urinals from the advertising space.

Morris Column ca. 1865 in Avenue de l'Observatoire Paris
Morris Column ca. 1865 in Avenue de l’Observatoire Paris

They took inspiration from the Berlin pillar to design their advertising column that now bears their names. The column would be dedicated to advertising purposes and the urinals would be housed in pissoirs (or vespasiennes). The separation of advertising and relieving oneself was the start of a new revolution in the streets of Paris!

 

The Morris column: a perfect fit into the streets of Paris

Morris Column, Square de la Tour Saint-Jacques , 4th arrt of Paris © French Moments
Morris Column, Square de la Tour Saint-Jacques , 4th arrt of Paris © French Moments

With an advertising space covering about 4m2 and a height of 6.25m, the Morris column had to be harmonious with the urban environment in compliance with the urban work developed by Baron Haussmann. Elegantly tall but slim the cast-iron structure was painted in a dark green colour so as to blend in with the city’s tree-lined boulevards. The circular billboard terminated in a pointed dome similar to that of the Wallace fountain. The dome is set on a hexagonal awning, decorated with scales and acanthus leaves. It gives a definite oriental look to the structure.

 

Two generations of Morris columns

  • Between 1868 and 1870, no less than 451 “first generation” Morris columns were placed in service in Paris.
  • The “second generation” of Morris columns was perfected by architect Gabriel Davioud. 

A round strip was added under the awning with the words “Spectacles” and “Théâtre”. The words are separated by a medallion representing a boat, a reference to Paris’ motto “Fluctuat nec mergitur“.

Morris Column, Quai de la Tournelle, 5th arrt of Paris © French Moments
Morris Column, Quai de la Tournelle, 5th arrt of Paris © French Moments

 

Advertisements on the Morris column

Morris Column, Place Pigalle, 9th arrt of Paris © French Moments
Morris Column, Place Pigalle, 9th arrt of Paris © French Moments

At first, the column displayed municipal announcements. Soon it began to advertise concerts, movies, theatre plays and cabarets. Today the columns mainly promote movies.

Originally the hollow pillar was useful for lamplighters who stored their equipment in a closet designed inside. When gaslighting disappeared the empty space was used for different purposes: to store materials and tools for street maintenance. In 1991 J.-C. Decaux transformed them to house sanisettes (public toilets) inside (a nod to the colonne mauresque!).

Until recently the interior of some columns were equipped with telephone booths. With the general use of mobile phones, these columns disappeared a decade ago. This photo was taken by Joe Shlabotnik at the Champs-Elysées in 2006. You can see the former logo of France Telecom, now Orange.

Morris column with telephone © Joe Shlabotnik - licence [CC BY 2.0] from Wikimedia Commons
Morris column with telephone © Joe Shlabotnik – licence [CC BY 2.0] from Wikimedia Commons

The Morris column today

Morris Column of Paris Infographic © French Moments

Needless to say, you won’t find the first generation of Morris columns in the streets of Paris today. The ones that were initially covered with paper posters. Now the Morris columns are lit at night and rotate. A weatherproof perspex glass protects the advertising space from vandalism.

In 2017 an old version of the Morris column was worth 30,000 to 40,000 euros according to the auction house Artcurial.

The Morris column is now an integral part of the street furniture in Paris. It is considered as a symbolic Parisian decorative element and has been featured in many paintings and novels of the Belle Epoque era.

Une place animée à Paris, oil painting by Joaquín Pallarés y Allustante (1898)
Une place animée à Paris, oil painting by Joaquín Pallarés y Allustante (1898)
La colonne Morris, oil painting by Jean Béraud (1885)
La colonne Morris, oil painting by Jean Béraud (1885)
Morris column in Boulevard de la Madeleine, painting by Fausto Giusto
Morris column in Boulevard de la Madeleine, painting by Fausto Giusto
Parisian Street Scene by Jean Béraud 1885
Parisian Street Scene by Jean Béraud 1885

Since 1986 the Morris columns are part of the advertising network of J.-C. Decaux, world leader in street furniture.

 

The Wilmotte column

Over the last decade, the City of Paris has been replacing the Morris column with a more modern version known as the Wilmotte column. Not all Parisians were happy with this decision and it aroused some controversy. 

Wilmotte Column, Paris © French Moments
Wilmotte Column, Paris © French Moments

 

Useful sites to learn more about the Morris column

Morris Column, Boulevard de Rochechouart, 9th arrt of Paris © French Moments
Boulevard de Rochechouart, 9th arrt of Paris © French Moments
Morris Column, Place Lemel, 3rd arrt of Paris © French Moments
Place Lemel, 3rd arrt of Paris © French Moments
Morris Column, Boulevard des Italiens, 2nd arrt of Paris © French Moments
Boulevard des Italiens, 2nd arrt of Paris © French Moments
Morris Column, Cours de Vincennes, 12th arrt of Paris © French Moments
Cours de Vincennes, 12th arrt of Paris © French Moments
Morris Column, Boulevard de Rochechouart, 9th arrt of Paris © French Moments
Boulevard de Rochechouart, 9th arrt of Paris © French Moments
Morris Column, Avenue Matignon, 8th arrt Paris © French Moments
Avenue Matignon, 8th arrt Paris © French Moments

 

 

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Morris Column of Paris © French Moments

Morris Column of Paris © French Moments

Gems of Paris by French Moments
About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

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  1. This is wonderful information. Nice job. I had read your article about the Wallace Fountains and while I knew the background, I enjoyed that article too. Last February I spent a morning tracking down the non-green Wallace fountains. Now I will be paying close attention to each Morris column I pass. Thank you and keep up the great work.

  2. Thank you Pierre, I really enjoy learning interesting facts and history from your posts. Have you ever done a post on Champagne ?
    Thank you

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