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Charles Marville and le Vieux Paris

Paris is famous for its 20th-century photographers such as Brassaï (1899−1984), Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908−2004), and Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894−1986). The city also produced two well-known celebrity photographers: Man Ray (1890−1976) and Felix Nadar (1820−1910) ⏤ Click here to read the blog, First Celebrity Photographer. During the mid-19th-century when photography was in its infancy, a group of photographers were hired by the city’s historic-works department to document Paris through their lenses. Today we are going to reintroduce you to one of those photographers, Charles Marville. While the original 2015 blog (same title) included only one image, we have expanded the story using multiple photographs. I have tried to find locations where a Marville photo can be paired with a contemporary image . . . the “before and after” effect. I like viewing these types of comparisons and thought you might also enjoy it.

Salvador Dali (left) and Man Ray (right). Photo by Carl van Vechten (c. 1934). Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division PD-Expired copyright. Wikimedia Commons.
Salvador Dali (left) and Man Ray (right). Photo by Carl van Vechten (c. 1934). Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division PD-Expired copyright. Wikimedia Commons.
Portrait of Brassaï. Photo by Emiel van Moerkerken (c. 1936). Source: Wikiportret.nl. PD-CCA-Share Alike 4.0 International. Wikimedia Commons.
Portrait of Brassaï. Photo by Emiel van Moerkerken (c. 1936). Source: Wikiportret.nl. PD-CCA-Share Alike 4.0 International. Wikimedia Commons.
Portrait of Charles Marville. Photo by Charles Marville (c. 1856). PD-Author’s life plus 70 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.
Portrait of Charles Marville. Photo by Charles Marville (c. 1856). PD-Author’s life plus 70 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.
Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt. Photo by Nadar (c. 1864). The Getty Center, Object 45995. PD-No known copyright restrictions. Wikimedia Commons.
Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt. Photo by Nadar (c. 1864). The Getty Center, Object 45995. PD-No known copyright restrictions. Wikimedia Commons.

I’m often asked how and why I started writing the walking tour books and subsequently, the blogs. Well, around 2010, I ran across a book by Leonard Pitt called Walks Through Lost Paris (refer to the recommended reading section below). Mr. Pitt takes the reader on four walks through historic Paris and presents pre-Haussmann photographs side-by-side with contemporary shots. The reader can easily see how Paris was transformed in the mid-1800s from a medieval city to the modern city we enjoy today. Sandy and I took Mr. Pitt’s book with us to Paris, and I became determined to write a similar book but based on the French Revolution. My one-book idea blossomed into five published books with three or four more to come.

Mr. Pitt’s book introduced me to several photographers, including Marville, who were hired by the city to visually record Paris before Haussmann began ripping it apart (click here to read the blog, The Destruction of Paris and here to read the The Missing Emperor). These photographs were “discovered” in the 1980s and have been used extensively in books and exhibitions around the world. Sarah Kennel’s book, Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris, was written in conjunction with an exhibition coordinated by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (again, refer to the recommended reading section below). It’s a beautiful book and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in historic Paris. From these images and old maps such as the 1550 Plan de Truschet and Hoyau, we are able to get a sense of what medieval Paris looked like. London was able to shed its medieval cloak after 1666 but it took Paris another two hundred years for its transformation.

When we first started going to Paris, I was not much into the “medieval” period. The Musée de Cluny, or musée national du Moyen Âge Paris (National Museum of Middle Ages) was not high on our list of stops. I gained a healthy interest in medieval Europe as I researched the history of Paris for our third and fourth books, Where Did They Burn the Last Grand Master of the Knights Templar (click here to read the blog, Cour des Miracles and here to read Hanging Around Medieval Paris). Even if you’re not into medieval times, I think you’ll find the images in this blog interesting. Read More Charles Marville and le Vieux Paris

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May 5, 1945

Unknown Soldier Cross. Photo by Visserp (2013). PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.
Unknown Soldier Cross. Photo by Visserp (2013). PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

Posting this blog on the fifth of each May has become a tradition for me.

Liberation Day (also known as Freedom Day) for the Netherlands (Holland) was 5 May 1945. Canadian forces along with other Allied forces were able to obtain the surrender of German forces in the small Dutch town of Wageningen. This led to the complete German surrender and liberation of the country. The Netherlands was one of the last European countries to be liberated. Two days later in Reims, Generaloberst Alfred Jodl signed the document for the unconditional surrender of the German armies.


Did You Know?

Did you know that for the past thirty years, “Wreaths Across America” has been responsible for placing holiday wreaths on thousands of American military graves? The secularist non-profit organization, “The Military Religious Freedom Foundation” (MRFF) has declared this tradition to be “unconstitutional, an atrocity, and a disgrace.” They believe the wreath-laying to be the “desecration of non-Christians veterans’ graves.” The MRFF says, “. . . forcing the non-Christian dead who didn’t celebrate Christmas in life to celebrate it in death.” Perhaps we should all take the position that the wreaths are really meant to celebrate, remember, and honor American veterans, fallen or otherwise.

Wreaths standing at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as part of Wreaths Across America. Photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta (18 December 2020). Associated Press.
Wreaths standing at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as part of Wreaths Across America. Photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta (18 December 2020). Associated Press.

Netherlands American Cemetery (Margraten)

There is a cemetery near Maastricht. It is the final resting spot for 8,301 American soldiers and a memorial for 1,722 men missing in action. They were the casualties of Operation Market Garden (17–25 September 1944) and other battles aimed at liberating Holland. Operation Market Garden was a failed Allied attempt to liberate Holland while on their march to Germany and Berlin. Other military cemeteries are located nearby for the British and Canadian men who did not survive the battle. Learn more about Operation Market Garden here.

American World War II Cemetery in Margraten, The Netherlands. Photo by Kees Verburg (2014). PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.
American World War II Cemetery in Margraten, The Netherlands. Photo by Kees Verburg (2014). PD-CCA-Share Alike 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

Four generations of Dutch families have adopted every man who perished in the battle. Each man’s grave is kept up and decorated by their adopted family. Every Memorial Day, American Embassy staff greets the Dutch families as they arrive at the cemetery to lay down flowers and wreaths. Even a portrait of their adopted soldier sits in their respective homes. Read More May 5, 1945