Artwork Page for Rue de la Montagne-Sainte-Geneviève

Details / Information for Rue de la Montagne-Sainte-Geneviève

Rue de la Montagne-Sainte-Geneviève

1898

Eugène Atget

(French, 1857–1927)
Culture
France, 20th century
Medium
albumen print, gold toned
Measurements
Image: 22 x 17.4 cm (8 11/16 x 6 7/8 in.); Matted: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1985.115
Public Domain
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Location
230 Photography
Print
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Did You Know?

Eugène Atget's goal as a photographer was to document the old buildings and streets of Paris before they were demolished.

Description

This narrow street, the site of the founding of the University of Paris in 1112, ends in a church built in the 1600s. Atget sold his photographs not as art but as “documents for artists,” similar in purpose to the nude studies other photographers made for use by painters. That may be why he photographed early in the morning, when a normally bustling street like this one was empty.
A vertically oriented albumen print depicts a narrow, textured cobblestone street framed by tall buildings with prominent shop signs, including "CHOCOLAT-VINAY." A distant church tower with a clock face centers the composition, rising beneath a pale sky. Deep, heavy shadows fill the lower foreground corners, creating a dark framing effect that recedes toward the lighter background. The entire scene is rendered in muted brown tones, emphasizing architectural details and weathered atmosphere.

Rue de la Montagne-Sainte-Geneviève

1898

Eugène Atget

(French, 1857–1927)
France, 20th century

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