Pont Neuf

In this meditative image, boats moored near the Pont Neuf, the oldest existing bridge across the River Seine, rest on still water. By the time Eugène Atget created this photograph, he had previously documented the embankments and quays along this section of the river and their attendant commerce. While the earlier images possess a clearly documentary purpose, this image reflects Atget's interest in mood, here effected by the palpable damp rising from the water.

The shift from prosaic to poetic studies in Atget's work reflected a change in his sensibility after World War I. Although the mood in these two styles of photography differs, both would have been appropriate for Atget to market to his artist-clients for use as source material.