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.

A woman named Marguerite with her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A woman named Marguerite walks a chicken in Paris, 1956.

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marguerite (right) and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A woman named Marguerite walks a chicken in Paris, 1956.

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paris, 1956.

Marguerite’s chicken, Paris, 1956.

Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marguerite (center) and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marguerite (left) and her chicken share a park bench with a woman who appears rather tense, Paris, 1956.

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

A woman named Marguerite walks a chicken in Paris, 1956.

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Marguerite and her chicken, Paris, 1956.

Nina Leen The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

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