Eugène Atget Explored Paris With a Camera for Over 30 Years
His massive body of work inspired surrealists and photographers
Over a century ago, if you were to walk the streets of Paris, you might have encountered a man. He dragged an old-fashioned plate camera and tripod into alleys. His lens focused on signs, streets, storefronts, and buildings. Then he vanished down another alley. He was Eugène Atget. Forgotten in his time, his thousands of photos served as the foundation for artistic movements.
Deep wells of influence
Jean-Eugène-Auguste Atget was born on 12 February 1857. Libourne, in southwestern France, was his home. By age 7, he had lost both his parents. Atget lived with family members for a large part of his childhood.
He became cabin boy and sailor on ships for a while. In the 1870s, he studied acting in Paris, then travelled with a troupe. The career did not bring him any success, though. He soon started to explore other artistic ventures.
In the 1880s, Atget took photos of rural scenes in northern France. He opened his own studio in Paris in the 1890s, which he…
