The Passion of Former Days: Paris

Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts

06 May, 2014

Paris by Photochrom

I am extraordinarily lucky-- not only am I off to Paris today, I am off to Paris on a trip with a curator and photohistorian to go behind the scenes at a heap of museums and other institutions to view photographic treasures. I'm pretty sure I'm dreaming.

In case I'm not, to celebrate here is a selection of photochrom views of Paris from the late 19th century!

Library of Congress

Hôtel de Ville (Paris City Hall). Source

Library of Congress

A view over the city and the Seine. Source

Library of Congress

The Champs-Elysses. Source

The Paris Exposition, Tinted

As we've seen, hand-tinting was a common practice through the 19th and early 20th centuries, when colour photography was non-existent or difficult to access. Tinting can vary from subtle to intense, elegant to garish-- and, honestly, the latter of both pairs are my favourites. The colours of this set are certainly intense, though expertly applied, and certainly sometimes border on the garish. This effect is magnified by the fact many have experienced significant fading of the photograph, affecting the gelatin silver image but not the bright dyes, leading to an often surreal appearance.

The photographs are lantern slides, precursors to film slides, positive photographs on glass meant to be projected. This set was made at the Paris Exposition of 1900, by the fine arts curator of the Brooklyn museum, William Henry Goodyear, and the photographer Joseph Hawes. The Brooklyn Museum has 271 of this set on the Flickr Commons; I've picked a few that appeal to me, but I recommend a further look!

Brooklyn Museum

An unidentified outdoor view. Source

Brooklyn Museum

The Palace of Decorative Arts. Source

Colour Photographs of Paris, 1939

Just in time for Bastille Day, fantastic colour photographs of Paris taken in July 1939, not even two months before the outbreak of World War Two. By William Vandivert, for LIFE.

You'll notice the colours have survived better in some than others... without seeing what the actual objects are it's impossible to know, but I suspect some were taken on Kodachrome film (the ones with better colour--Kodachrome lasts better than any other colour film) and the others on a different film (though still a Kodak one-- in just one of the images, you can see text on the right labelling it as Kodak!).

William Vandivert, LIFE © Time Inc.

Advertising posters on the Rue de Courcelles. Source

William Vandivert, LIFE © Time Inc.

Rooftops of the city. Source

William Vandivert, LIFE © Time Inc.

A street in Montmarte. Source

Coca-Cola Comes to France

A series from LIFE capturing the French as they first meet Coke, 1950. (no product endorsement intended, haha).

Photographs by Mark Kauffman, from the LIFE archives.

Mark Kauffman, LIFE © Time Inc.

Source

Mark Kauffman, LIFE © Time Inc.

Source

Mark Kauffman, LIFE © Time Inc.

Source

Nightlife in Paris, 1949

All kinds of clubs for all kinds of tastes, Paris, 1949.

Photos by Gjon Mili for LIFE.

Content advisory: partial nudity

Jitterbugging and saxophones at La Rose Rouge. Source

Inside La Scheherazde. Source

Clowns performing among patrons at Caveau des Oubliettes. Source