Liberté, Egalité, Marché

…The Women of the marketplace past and present

On the 5th October 1789, a number of hungry and frustrated market women from the Faubourg Saint Antoine in the east of Paris began to protest. Armed with pikes, bread knives and a few cannons they trudged for miles in the rain, eventually storming the royal palace of Versailles. Their mission? Getting their hands on some much needed bread and the arrest of the royal family! This was to be one of the earliest victories of a ten year long struggle for liberty, equality and a new France.

The tour will take place at the Marché d’Aligre in the Faubourg Saint Antoine, one of Paris’ oldest food markets where we'll discuss the women of the market; past and present. We will enjoy both sweet and savoury tastings at three different addresses in and around the market and hear the stories of the women who run them. Along the way we’ll also learn about the women’s march to Versailles and the important role that women played in the French Revolution... and in turn, what the Revolution did for them.