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Paris Changing: Revisiting Eugène Atget’s Paris
Between 1888 and 1927 Eugène Atget meticulously photographed Paris and its environments, capturing in thousands of photographs the city’s parks, streets, and buildings as well as its diverse inhabitants. Christopher Rauschenberg spent a year in the late 90s revisiting and re-photographing many of Atget’s locations. Paris Changing features seventy-four pairs of images beautifully reproduced in duotone. Each site is indicated on a map of the city, inviting readers to follow in the steps of Atget and Rauschenberg themselves. The book concludes with essays by Clark Worswick and Alison Nordstrom, an epilogue by Rosamond Bernier as well as a portfolio of other images of contemporary Paris by Rauschenberg.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 3, 2020
"Eugène Atget photographed Paris from 1888 until his death in 1927. Like many people, I consider him the greatest photographer of all time. He documented the city in a straightforward way, his images evoking the feeling that all the transitory things that people make, all the things they do, are washed away, leaving only their transcendent evidence."
-Preface by Christopher Rauschenberg
A touching tribute to a great photographer Paris Changing contains seventy-four pairs of images beautifully reproduced in duotone. Each pair having one photograph by Atget, and the other by Rauschenberg. Each site is indicated on a map of the city, inviting readers to follow in the steps of Atget and Rauschenberg themselves.
"In Paris that year, in the streets and places that Atget had admired, I resolved to return and explore with my camera whether the haunting and beautiful city of his vision still existed. Between 1997 and 1998, I made three trips to Paris and rephotographed five hundred of the outdoor scenes that Atget had photographed. "
Essays by Clark Worswick and Alison Nordstrom give insight into Atget's life and situate Rauschenberg's work in the context of other rephotography projects. The book concludes with an epilogue by Rosamond Bernier as well as a portfolio of other images of contemporary Paris by Rauschenberg.
December 1, 2020
This is a fascinating and oddly pleasant book of approximately century-old photographs of Paris street scenes taken by the renowned French photographer Eugene Atget, with the same scenes rephotographed around 100 years later by the American photographer Chris Rauschenberg, the son of the famous artist Robert Rauschenberg.
The photographs include architectural details, such as exterior church sculptures, sculptures in parks, doors, courtyards, important fountains that include sculptures, street and park stairways. Many times, the grime of the bygone era has been removed from structures - which are now spiffed up, renovated, yet still are underneath the later "improvements, ancient." Amazingly, in some scenes the same trees are there - 100 years later, their branches are thicker, graphically showing the march of time. Some statuary is eroded by modern-day pollution - as are some architectural details, but some either remains untouched or was restored at some point. Some "humble" structures were cleaned up and modernized - and have become upscale, attesting to the march of gentrification. In one pair of photographs, an advertising kiosk still stands at the same place 100 years later - but looking closely, you can tell it is not exactly the same kiosk; it's a reproduction of the old kiosk, but not the same one as 100 years ago.
Much has changed, but also much has stayed the same - it's strangely pleasant to compare each pair of photographs to pick up the changes and what has stayed the same. I found this book endlessly fascinating and absorbing; of course the photos themselves are of the highest quality, with Rauschenberg's modern-day photos managing to establish a stylistic dialog with those of Atget, despite the decades that separate them and the advent of modernity.
I'm happy Chris became an established, evidently successful and well-known photographer - I actually was casually friendly with him around 50 years ago, when he was a student at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where I was visiting a school mate with whom I had attended HS in NYC; Chris was part of my friend's social circle so I met him through her back then a few times. I'm glad he has made a mark in the field of photography - his photos in this book are in fact truly beautiful and evocative in their own right, and he notes in a brief afterword that he has photographed many Paris street scenes which still contain traces of old/"ancient" Paris that Atget did not photograph; a few of these photographs are appended.
The three essays that accompany the photos are quite interesting, informative about Atget's career as a photographer, and the lucky happenstance that led to the rescue of his sublime photographic work from obscurity, probably oblivion.
Here's some quotes from Clark Worswick's essay:
"...by the time Atget took up photographing Paris between 1897 and 1899, the documentation of European urban subjects by commercial photographers was drawing to a close. During the later part of the 1890s, an era that increasingly came to be dominated by amateurs wielding Kodak cameras, the world-wide demand for commercial photography of urban scenes went into a steep and radical decline."
"Talking about the pictures Atget sold during his lifetime, [Berenice] Abbott [the rescuer of Atget's work] once remarked: "The price of his photographs was indicative of the value placed on photographs by this French clientele. Masterpieces of photography sold for pennies. The prices ranged from .25 to 1.25 francs in 1911.""
The photographs include architectural details, such as exterior church sculptures, sculptures in parks, doors, courtyards, important fountains that include sculptures, street and park stairways. Many times, the grime of the bygone era has been removed from structures - which are now spiffed up, renovated, yet still are underneath the later "improvements, ancient." Amazingly, in some scenes the same trees are there - 100 years later, their branches are thicker, graphically showing the march of time. Some statuary is eroded by modern-day pollution - as are some architectural details, but some either remains untouched or was restored at some point. Some "humble" structures were cleaned up and modernized - and have become upscale, attesting to the march of gentrification. In one pair of photographs, an advertising kiosk still stands at the same place 100 years later - but looking closely, you can tell it is not exactly the same kiosk; it's a reproduction of the old kiosk, but not the same one as 100 years ago.
Much has changed, but also much has stayed the same - it's strangely pleasant to compare each pair of photographs to pick up the changes and what has stayed the same. I found this book endlessly fascinating and absorbing; of course the photos themselves are of the highest quality, with Rauschenberg's modern-day photos managing to establish a stylistic dialog with those of Atget, despite the decades that separate them and the advent of modernity.
I'm happy Chris became an established, evidently successful and well-known photographer - I actually was casually friendly with him around 50 years ago, when he was a student at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where I was visiting a school mate with whom I had attended HS in NYC; Chris was part of my friend's social circle so I met him through her back then a few times. I'm glad he has made a mark in the field of photography - his photos in this book are in fact truly beautiful and evocative in their own right, and he notes in a brief afterword that he has photographed many Paris street scenes which still contain traces of old/"ancient" Paris that Atget did not photograph; a few of these photographs are appended.
The three essays that accompany the photos are quite interesting, informative about Atget's career as a photographer, and the lucky happenstance that led to the rescue of his sublime photographic work from obscurity, probably oblivion.
Here's some quotes from Clark Worswick's essay:
"...by the time Atget took up photographing Paris between 1897 and 1899, the documentation of European urban subjects by commercial photographers was drawing to a close. During the later part of the 1890s, an era that increasingly came to be dominated by amateurs wielding Kodak cameras, the world-wide demand for commercial photography of urban scenes went into a steep and radical decline."
"Talking about the pictures Atget sold during his lifetime, [Berenice] Abbott [the rescuer of Atget's work] once remarked: "The price of his photographs was indicative of the value placed on photographs by this French clientele. Masterpieces of photography sold for pennies. The prices ranged from .25 to 1.25 francs in 1911.""
January 5, 2021
I totally enjoyed peering at the details in the old images and comparing the now and then scenes. What a wonderful chance to get a sense of time and place from the start and end of the last century. the businesses, houses, gardens and street scenes are all worthy of grabbing a magnifying glass to better see all the camera captured.
Want to read
May 2, 2016
July 3, 2016
What a beautiful book. Christopher Rauschenburg did a wonderful job recreating Eugene Atget's photographs of Paris. So interesting to view the differences in the city after approximately 100 years. It made me think about how it must have looked 100 to 200 years before Atget's photos. It created good discussions about urban life and changes over the past 100 years with my daughter who looked through it with me. I found this at the library, but I definitely want a copy of it in my personal library.
May 22, 2020
I have had this book for a while and with the Pandemic decided to pick it up and read it. The then and now photographs are great. Many of the locations my wife and I have visited but looking at the photos taken in the 1890s-1920s it gives them new meaning. Once this Pandemic subsides I want to get back to Paris and see these sites again. A must read for anyone into photography and Paris.
March 31, 2009
Between 1888 and 1927 Eugène Atget meticulously photographed Paris and its environs, capturing in thousands of photographs the city's parks, streets, and buildings as well as its diverse inhabitants. His images preserved the vanishing architecture of the ancien régime as Paris grew into a modern capital and established Atget as one of the twentieth century's greatest and most revered photographers.
Christopher Rauschenberg spent a year in the late '90s revisiting and rephotographing many of Atget's same locations. Paris Changing features seventy-four pairs of images beautifully reproduced in duotone. By meticulously replicating the emotional as well as aesthetic qualities of Atget's images, Rauschenberg vividly captures both the changes the city has under-gone and its enduring beauty. His work is both an homage to his predecessor and an artistic study of Paris in its own right. Each site is indicated on a map of the city, inviting readers to follow in the steps of Atget and Rauschenberg themselves. Essays by Clark Worswick and Alison Nordstrom give insight into Atget's life and situate Rauschenberg's work in the context of other rephotography projects. The book concludes with an epilogue by Rosamond Bernier as well as a portfolio of other images of contemporary Paris by Rauschenberg.
If a trip to the city of lights is not in your immediate future, this luscious portrait of Paris then and now is definitely the next best thing.
Oregon-based photographer Christopher Rauschenberg, the son of artist Robert Rauschenberg, is a founding member of the Blue Sky Photographers' Collective and Gallery. His work has been exhibited widely.
Essay contributors:
Rosamond Bernier served as European features editor of Vogue magazine in Paris, where she became friends with artists Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Mir—, and Georges Braque. She founded the art magazine l'oeuil in 1955 and after her return to the United States became a professional lecturer, speaking at institutions such as the Louvre, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Guggenheim Museum, among many others.
Clark Worswick has authored a number of books on photography.
Alison Nordstrom is a curator and her writing on photography has been widely published.
Christopher Rauschenberg spent a year in the late '90s revisiting and rephotographing many of Atget's same locations. Paris Changing features seventy-four pairs of images beautifully reproduced in duotone. By meticulously replicating the emotional as well as aesthetic qualities of Atget's images, Rauschenberg vividly captures both the changes the city has under-gone and its enduring beauty. His work is both an homage to his predecessor and an artistic study of Paris in its own right. Each site is indicated on a map of the city, inviting readers to follow in the steps of Atget and Rauschenberg themselves. Essays by Clark Worswick and Alison Nordstrom give insight into Atget's life and situate Rauschenberg's work in the context of other rephotography projects. The book concludes with an epilogue by Rosamond Bernier as well as a portfolio of other images of contemporary Paris by Rauschenberg.
If a trip to the city of lights is not in your immediate future, this luscious portrait of Paris then and now is definitely the next best thing.
Oregon-based photographer Christopher Rauschenberg, the son of artist Robert Rauschenberg, is a founding member of the Blue Sky Photographers' Collective and Gallery. His work has been exhibited widely.
Essay contributors:
Rosamond Bernier served as European features editor of Vogue magazine in Paris, where she became friends with artists Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Mir—, and Georges Braque. She founded the art magazine l'oeuil in 1955 and after her return to the United States became a professional lecturer, speaking at institutions such as the Louvre, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Guggenheim Museum, among many others.
Clark Worswick has authored a number of books on photography.
Alison Nordstrom is a curator and her writing on photography has been widely published.
March 26, 2009
Editorial Reviews
New York Times:
"Paris Changing is an invitation to a nostalgic voyage, or, to a long Paris weekend, during which you can use the photographs as a guide and return to New York with fresh eyes." (October 28, 2007)
Travel + Leisure:
"In Paris Changing Christopher Rauschenberg retraces the footsteps of French documentarian Eugene Atget in 1898. The two men's photos are shown side-by-side, revealing the city's eternal elegance and its modern developments." (December 2007)
Art New England:
"[Rauschenberg] photographs the older parts of the city that anyone who loves Paris will enjoy poring over in this attractive volume." (January 2008)
Library Journal:
"The compendium of the photographer's oeuvre during the belle epoque is an enchanting catalog of the city's streets, parks, neighborhoods, shops...in rich duotones that you'll want to reach out and touch." (1/1/08)
B–W:
"These parallel views, 78 from each photographer, are fascinating to look at. The delightful result is that Paris retains much of her charm, that quaint character preserved in brick-lined alleyways and bistros, bridges along the Seine, and of course, the parks. The French have a saying: The more things change, the more they remaind the same." (March 2008)
Photography:
"In 76 pairs of images beautifully reproduced in duotone, Rauschenberg captures the similarities and changes Paris has undergone with its enduring beauty. "
New York Times:
"Paris Changing is an invitation to a nostalgic voyage, or, to a long Paris weekend, during which you can use the photographs as a guide and return to New York with fresh eyes." (October 28, 2007)
Travel + Leisure:
"In Paris Changing Christopher Rauschenberg retraces the footsteps of French documentarian Eugene Atget in 1898. The two men's photos are shown side-by-side, revealing the city's eternal elegance and its modern developments." (December 2007)
Art New England:
"[Rauschenberg] photographs the older parts of the city that anyone who loves Paris will enjoy poring over in this attractive volume." (January 2008)
Library Journal:
"The compendium of the photographer's oeuvre during the belle epoque is an enchanting catalog of the city's streets, parks, neighborhoods, shops...in rich duotones that you'll want to reach out and touch." (1/1/08)
B–W:
"These parallel views, 78 from each photographer, are fascinating to look at. The delightful result is that Paris retains much of her charm, that quaint character preserved in brick-lined alleyways and bistros, bridges along the Seine, and of course, the parks. The French have a saying: The more things change, the more they remaind the same." (March 2008)
Photography:
"In 76 pairs of images beautifully reproduced in duotone, Rauschenberg captures the similarities and changes Paris has undergone with its enduring beauty. "
July 31, 2011
This is an interesting premise -- a late 20th century photographer retracing the steps of an early 20th century photographer -- but I do not agree that Eugene Atget is the "greatest French photographer of the 20th century". (Of the belle epoque, perhaps.) Rauschenberg captures much of the same feel as the original, but some of his efforts are more successful than others.
Interesting essays both preceding and following the plates.
Really, this collection makes me want to find a good book of Cartier-Bresson.
Interesting essays both preceding and following the plates.
Really, this collection makes me want to find a good book of Cartier-Bresson.
August 7, 2016
What an amazing project by Rauschenberg. Atget's photography (and now Rauschenberg's) showcases what I love most about Paris: the details. Really seeing Paris, for me, is so much more about the doorknobs, the alleyways, the foodstands, and the empty chairs in its gardens, rather than the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, and its fascinating to see these things age. This book is a treasure.
October 5, 2008
A photographer seeks out the places photographed by Eugene Atget at the turn of the 20th century, and documents how those same places now look at the start of the 21st century. If you love early photography (as I do) and Paris (need you ask?) then this is a beautiful achievement.
July 27, 2011
Wonderful collection with compelling images and interesting essays
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews