Porte d'Ivry, Zoniers

This basket maker, a resident of the no-man's-land that existed just outside the old Paris city walls, paused in his work so that Eugène Atget could photograph him. Seated in front of his shack with his raw materials and finished goods, this humble tradesman lived in an area that many poor people, especially junk collectors, called home. The fence along the right side and behind the dwelling shows that property in this village was clearly demarcated and more secure than many of the city's slums. Atget's extensive documentation of Parisians excluded the wealthy in favor of the poor, for whom he was genuinely concerned.