Realism in France

Charles Marville

Rue Saint-Jacques

1864–67

Albumen silver print, 30.6 × 27 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington

A narrow street in the Latin Quarter, photographed from a corner, looking down its length.

• From 1862 Marville was the city of Paris's official photographer.
• He photographed old streets slated for demolition in Baron Haussmann's rebuilding of the city.
• Peeling posters and painted shop signs on the walls: the old street itself is the subject.

Albumen print

a photographic print made with egg white to hold the image, giving fine detail; the usual process from the 1850s to the 1890s.

Image: National Gallery of Art, Washington · Public domain (NGA Open Access)