Today this boulevard is crammed with tourist buses and sex shops, but the side streets are worth exploring for their cafés, nightclubs, boutiques, and antiques shops. The name—White Square—comes from the clouds of chalky dust that used to be churned up by carts carrying plaster of Paris down from quarries. Crushed wheat and flour from the nearby windmills added to the powdery atmosphere. The Boulevard de Clichy, which intersects the square, was virtually an artists' highway at the turn of the 20th century; Degas lived and died at No. 6, Picasso lived at No. 11, and art supply stores and dealers lined the street.
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