Cour de Rouen 1922

This photograph, ‘Cour de Rouen,’ was captured by Eugène Atget, using what looks like a glass plate negative. I feel like I'm looking at a sketch for a set design! The sepia tones give it that romantic, old-timey feel, right? You can almost smell the damp stone and imagine the echoes in that little courtyard. Atget was like a time-traveler, capturing the essence of a place before it vanished. I bet he spent hours setting up his camera, waiting for the perfect light. Notice how he frames the buildings, like characters in a play, each with its own story. It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi and how he looked for the subtle variations in his bottles. It feels like Atget is doing the same here with these buildings. It’s like he knew these streets and buildings wouldn't last forever and that his job was to remember them.