At the Château Rouge

Edgar Chahine often reminded his middle and upper middle class audience of the grinding burden of urban poverty. Here he focused on hunger and fatigue. The basket placed at center stage, meant for carrying food, underscores the spare offerings in this dining hall at the former Château Rouge. In the early 1800s, Château Rouge had served as headquarters for the brother of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1861). By Chahine’s time, the building had been torn down and the land redeveloped to accommodate the influx of rural citizens and immigrants fueling Paris’s growth. The area still serves an immigrant population, with today’s newcomers coming mostly from Africa.