Passage des Deux-Soeurs de la rue Lafayette

Charles Marville

Albumen print

National Gallery of Art

This atmospheric albumen print captures a narrow Parisian passage in the 9th arrondissement just before Baron Haussmann's dramatic urban modernization transformed the city. Charles Marville, born Charles-François Bossu, served as the official photographer of Paris from 1862, documenting the medieval streets and ancient quarters destined for demolition. His haunting composition of the Passage des Deux-Soeurs exemplifies his mastery of light and shadow in architectural photography, creating images that serve as invaluable historical records of a vanished cityscape while standing as powerful works of art in their own right.