La Bièvre, rue Vulpian

The rue Vulpian was another street in the Bièvre valley quarter of the 13th arrondissement, part of the same systematically documented neighborhood that Bonneton recorded across multiple canvases in 1900. This section of the Bièvre ran through one of the most densely worked parts of the tanners' and leather-workers' quarter, where the river's pollution from industrial use had made it a public health hazard for decades before its covering. Bonneton's views of these streets constitute one of the most thorough painted records of a Parisian neighborhood on the eve of its transformation — comparable in historical importance to Marville's photographs of pre-Haussmann streets from the 1860s. The Musée Carnavalet preserves this as part of its Bonneton series.

Bonneton maintains a consistent visual vocabulary across his Bièvre series: low horizons, soft atmospheric light, and a restricted palette of ochre, stone grey, and muted vegetation tones that unifies the views while allowing each street its particular character. Buildings lean and settle in ways that signal age without being overly picturesque.