95 - Eugène ATGET (1857–1927)

Eugène ATGET (1857–1927) At the Agneau Pascal, 11 rue de Valence (5th arrondissement), 1910–1911 A carved sign depicting a Paschal lamb in a radiant halo above the storefront reading “Wine Store – Paul Mathieu [?] - Liqueurs,” latticework with rosettes, “Hôtel…” sign in the upper left, “Liqueurs… de Marquis…” poster on the right. Silver print 23.8 x 18.3 cm Inscription on the reverse: Pencil annotation: “A l’agneau Pascal [11 added above] rue de Valence. (5th arr.) – 1910–1911 BNF” Provenance: former Jean-Marie Drot collection Born in Libourne in 1857, Eugène Atget worked as a sailor and then as an actor before devoting himself to photography around 1890. Settling on Rue Campagne-Première, he produced “documents for artists” and spent nearly forty years photographing old Paris: streets, courtyards, storefronts, signs, small trades, parks, and interiors. His thousands of photographs were acquired by the National Library, the Carnavalet Museum, and the Monuments Historiques, which saw them as a record of a city in the process of disappearing. Man Ray and the Surrealists, followed by Berenice Abbott—who saved a large portion of his collection—revealed the poetic dimension of his work. He died in Paris in 1927 and is considered one of the fathers of modern documentary photography.