Atget's Paris

by Eugène Atget, Hans-Christian Adam, Andreas Krase

Eugene Atget roamed the streets with his bulky large format camera, systematically cataloguing turn-of-the-century Old Paris down to the very smallest details. His skilled, wonderfully atmospheric photos of Paris's parks, buildings, streets, store windows, prostitutes, workers, and even door handles are a joy to behold. This abbreviated volume contains a selection of Atget's best photographs and is the perfect introduction to this master photographer's work.

Genres: Photography, Art, France, Nonfiction, Travel, Collections, Art and Photography

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Eugène Atget was a French photographer best known for his photographs of the architecture and streets of Paris. He took up photography in the late 1880s and supplied studies for painters, architects, and stage designers. Atget began shooting Paris in 1898 using a large format view camera to capture the city in detail. His photographs, many of which were taken at dawn, are notable for their diffuse light and wide views that give a sense of space and ambience. They also document Paris and its rapid changes; many of the areas Atget photographed were soon to be razed as part of massive modernization projects.

Atget’s photographs drew the admiration of a variety of artists, most notably Man Ray, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. Man Ray even used one of Atget’s photographs for the cover of his surrealist magazine la Révolution surréaliste. The photographer Berenice Abbott preserved Atget’s prints and negatives and was the first person to exhibit Atget’s work outside of France.

Reviews

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have known Eugène Atget's photographs for a while, but only on a superficial way - that is, I knew next to nothing about him, his life, why he chose to photograph Paris so extensively, how he set about to do it, and so on. So I was happy to pick up a book that would tell me a bit more about him.

I was a bit disappointed by the essay at the beginning. While informative, it was rather short. It left me still wondering about what his motives were for working the way he did. Was it love, obsession, or simply work? The photos themselves don't give a clear answer either. One can only assume what is proposed by the title of the book: that Atget considered this city HIS city, and wanted to immortalize Paris through his work.

The images are presented to us in groups (workers, old Paris, stairs, etc.) which emphasizes the "historic catalog" feeling. Aesthetically speaking, the photographs themselves are beautiful, with lovely tones and contrast. The print quality is as good as I'm used to seeing from Taschen, as is the type of paper. They really are to be commended for offering such great books at such a low price.

The best thing about this book was, for me, to compare the photographs with what I remember from present Paris. A lovely addition to my (still very small) photography book collection.

[Nicolas Rojas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une sensibilité du quotidien humain qui nous invite à rêver du récemment et du passé.

[Susan]

I never really thought I wanted to go back to this beautiful city......until now.

[Lyle Deixler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing photos from one of the early pioneers of photography. And a great look at how Paris once existed.

[Lesley Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

small but mighty

[Lee Kofman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this charming book and this won’t be the last time I perused it. I just wish the introductory essay was longer and with more context for the kind of artistic contribution Atget made.

[Oiseau Distrait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valuable photos to record Paris in the past, love the unique angle of Atget. It's so interesting when compare with the current street view of Paris, time flies...

[Mary Goodnight]

Sublime collection de clichés du réel à mille lieues du Paris policé de Doisneau.