Written By: Liz Ronk
Ah, Paris. The City of Light. The home of Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Seine, the Marais and countless other celebrated neighborhoods and attractions. Thousands of years old, and yet perfectly modern; a world capital of fashion, cuisine and intellectual pursuits; a city rich in character and in history; the perfect place to walk your pet chicken like a dog.
Wait. What?
Here, apropos of nothing, LIFE.com presents a series of photographs by the incomparable Nina Leen, chronicling the Parisian peregrinations of a woman named Marguerite. We know virtually nothing else about her. Her last name is lost to time. The reasons for her fowl habit are shrouded in mystery. But perhaps her anonymity, and the riddle of her daily, poultry-centric rounds, help explain the appeal of these pictures.
Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Marguerite’s chicken, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Marguerite (left) and her chicken shared a park bench with a woman who appeared to be rather tense, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.
Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
