The concept of industrious revolution is often put forth to explain the apparent or genuine growth of the standard of living among the European population during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. This article aims to examine to what extent this concept helps us understand the growing living standard of peasantry of two regions of the Paris Basin during the first part of the nineteenth century. With the help of 183 probate inventories of farmer and day-labourers (1815-1820 and 1852-1857) I assess the growing consumption of goods typical of the industrious revolution (watch, clock, coffee, books, etc.). I show that the improvement of actual standard of consumption of these populations matched the increase of literacy rate among their children, and that it is not possible to explain it by the growth of wages that remained very limited during the Monarchie censitaire. Finally I show that it is not possible to demonstrate that the growth of the annual number of working hours occurring at the end of the period under study can explain the growth of consumption. In last instance, in the north of Paris Basin, the growth of consumption of goods typical of the industrious revolution was due to a distinctive consumer behaviour towards consumer and household goods; therefore a hypothetical industrious revolution could not help us understand the general improvement of the standard of living.