Rue des Canettes, Maison #18

This view of storefronts along a cobblestone street in Paris, France, is a part of an ambitious project. Eugène Atget photographed the older aspects of the city and its changing environs, which were disappearing in the face of urban development. As this image demonstrates, Atget was often just as interested the details of hand-painted signage, displays in store windows, and low-relief ornamental medallions as he was in the broader depiction of buildings. While he considered his works to have documentary value—selling his work to architects, decorators, artists, and libraries—they are often imbued with atmospheric and poetic qualities.