Although the moon is not visible in this photograph by Eugène Atget, its presence and appeal are implied. The crowd gathered in Paris’s Place de la Bastille on April 17, 1912, was observing a solar eclipse through viewing apparatuses. Atget, rather than recording the astronomical event itself, turned his attention to its spectators. Though Atget made more than 8,500 pictures of Paris and its environs in a career that spanned over thirty years—most documenting the built environment—this photograph is an unusual example that focuses on a crowd of people.
This print is a work print, the final version has been slightly cropped removing imperfections on the bottom and bottom left sides of the image. Printed by B. Abbott, likely in the 1950s.