Six secrets of the Pont-Neuf: from Christo to the first fries

The Pont-Neuf, Paris's oldest standing bridge (completed 1607), is the subject of a new contemporary art intervention: JR's 'La Caverne', which opened to the public on June 15. The article reveals six little-known facts about the bridge. It was the first home of Parisian bouquinistes (booksellers) in the 18th century, and its name inspired the Samaritaine department store via a water pump installed in 1602. The bridge may be the birthplace of French fries, sold by fritter vendors as 'pommes Pont-Neuf' after Parmentier promoted the potato. It was a site of early innovation: Louis Daguerre captured one of the first outdoor photographs from the bridge (1837–1838), and in 1843 it hosted Paris's first electric lighting experiment. Almost none of the original sculptures survive: the equestrian statue of Henri IV (1614, by Jean de Bologne and Pietro Tacca) was destroyed during the Revolution and replaced by François-Frédéric Lemot's monument in 1814; the 381 mascaron medallions were replaced in the 1850s and 1990s; and the iconic candelabras by Baltard were only installed in 1854.