Rue du Contrat-Social, de la rue de la Tonnellerie

Charles Marville

1864–1865 · Albumen silver print from glass negative · Photographs

In the late 1850s Marville became one the primary photographers for the city of Paris, recording its new spaces such as the renovated Bois de Boulogne and the older areas slated for demolition and rebuilding under the modernization carried out by Baron Hausmann for Emperor Napoleon III. A memorable scene in the classic French historical novel Les Miserables (1862) by Victor Hugo takes place on the street shown here. In the background are the market pavilions of Les Halles; in the foreground, on rue de la Tonnellerie, are shops selling umbrellas and other household goods. Both streets would soon be destroyed as part of the urbanization of Paris.

Artist

Charles Marville

Date

1864–1865

Medium

Albumen silver print from glass negative

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Gilman Collection, Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Henry R. Kravis Gift, 2005