La Rambla has been a space marked by diversity and surprise. Its centrality has constituted a focus of irresistible attraction, attended by all who sought to be seen. The pioneer of photojournalism Frederic Ballell dedicated himself in the years 1907 and 1908 to photographing everything that deserved his attention and thus obtained a formidable graphic documentation of the varied life and so much activity displayed there.
The porter has come to this unbeatable meeting place to wish to be hired. Is he very tired? He is lazy? Does he adopt this attitude so as not to go unnoticed? What we don’t know is if he found it favorable or just the opposite.
The best hiring point had been set up in the small square formed at the junction of the Rambla de les Flors and the Rambla del Mig, also called del Center or dels Caputxins. It is a point where the gentle slope disappears and forms a brief flat terrain; It also stands out for lacking the generous trees that frame the entire walk with authority and beauty.
It had earned the most diverse names, such as Cap de Creus, Rovell de l’Ou, but the one that had the most roots was Pla de l’Os. There was some confusion about the reason. Some suspected that he was alluding to the bear that some gypsy group displayed from time to time. There are photographs that show this spectacle, such as of Ballell himself.
The most plausible interpretation was the one that required the pronunciation of an open o. And it was thus an allusion to the bone; In fact, it was about l’os bertran.
This popular name therefore referred to the sacral bone formed by five vertebrae and which, when it suffered inflammation, prevented the spine from bending. The origin was based on the folklorist Joan Amades when he stated that the herbalist Bertran had managed to find some herbs that, applied in the form of a poultice, effectively relieved such pain.
The popular voice immediately related it to the fauna that was concentrated on that plain: porters, whitewashers, chimney sweeps and others. Since they could not be hired easily, they spent many idle hours there. And the panorama gave more the impression that they were lazing around, as if they couldn’t or didn’t want to exercise because their pain hurt them.
