Compiègne-Vielle Maison rue des Lombards

Eugène Atget had set out to Compiègne, just outside of Paris, to photograph its chateau and park but was clearly captivated by this humble establishment, so he photographed an unpretentious furniture shop. The figure of a craftsman chiseling a piece of wood informed the passerby that the site, once a residence, now housed a cabinetmaker. Used furniture, pictures, and statuary spill out of the crowded interior onto the sidewalk. Inside, clocks fill the shop window.