June On A Bike In Rue Visconti, 1928

Henry Miller first visited Paris in 1928. His new wife, June Mansfield, accompanied him. They stayed at the Hotel de Paris at 24 rue Bonaparte, near which is the rue Visconti.

Henry wanted to make a tour of France on bicycle. June was less certain that this was a good idea; after all, she'd never ridden a bike before. Henry bought them bicycles in Paris and took on the task of teaching her to ride, using the one-way alley lane of the rue Visconti as their practicing ground.

The rue Visconti (seen above) was so-named in 1864, after having previsouly been called Marais-Saint-Germain. Visconti had been the architect who'd designed Napoleon's tomb. Over the years, Balzac and the artist Delacroix have lived and worked on this street. You can read the entire history of this street at the Metropole Paris website (from which I've borrowed the photo of rue Visconti).

When Henry was ready to depart, June still lacked confidence in her riding abilities. She was afraid of riding beyond the Visconti alleyway and into the bustling Paris streets; so Henry, June, and the bicycles boarded a train for the more rustic Fontainebleau, 50 k south of Paris. Their two-wheeled tour of France would begin from there in September 1928.

Take a look at this photograph of Rue Visconti.