Charles Marville (1813-1879)

Charles Marville worked initially as an illustrator of books and magazines and took up photography in the 1850s. He worked for the firm of Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard, which specialized in publishing architectural, topographical, and archeological albums. Marville later served as a photographer for the city of Paris. He documented the old quarters and public structures before their demolition and the subsequent urban renewal plan by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann under Napoleon III.  Marville’s photograph, Vue du Pont de la Réforme, ou Pont Louis-Philippe, came from the album, Paris photographique. The developed out salt print exhibits remarkable detail and clarity as well as neutral black-and-white tones that beautifully capture the Paris winter scene.