Porte Cluny
Eugène Atget
French, 1857–1927
1898
An albumen silver print photograph in which Eugène Atget methodically records a carved stone gateway in Paris, aiming to preserve the city's vanishing architectural details.
The image strikes you with its quiet, measured perspective: a rounded arch flanked by fluted columns and worn steps leads the eye through a series of dark doorways into a sunlit courtyard, while dappled leaves trace soft shadows across the stone.
Part of Atget’s systematic survey of Old Paris, this work helped establish a documentary yet poetic photographic language—valued for its archival precision and later admired by Surrealists and modern photographers.
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
8 11/16 × 6 9/16" (22 × 16.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Abbott-Levy Collection. Acquired through the generosity of Shirley C. Burden, and Family of Man Fund
Accession
1.1969.503
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions