Atget was a French photographer in the late 1800s/early 1900s who photographed a view of Paris few have seen. Away from the hustling crowds, he focused on architecture and surreal compositions within the city. He was an orphan & was taken care of by his uncle until he was shipped off to be a cabin boy at a young age. When he returned, he tried his skill at acting on a professional level, which never took off. Next, he tried painting without much luck. He finally found his calling as a photographer. He earned a living selling photos to painters as references. I find it interesting that Atget’s photos were considered more in terms of reference items and documentation than artwork. Atget never moved or organized any objects to form a certain composition; he photographed compositions as he saw them, in their raw state. Because of his love of reading, he consumed all literary works by Victor Hugo and was extremely articulate. He lugged his 18x24cm view camera around Paris to take pictures. From age 50 and on, he lived mainly on milk, bread and sugar. As far as we know, Atget never took a close up portrait or typical still life photograph.
Fete du Trone
Carrousel
Boutique Jouets
