Eugène Atget Sold at Auction Prices

Photographer, b. 1857 - d. 1927

(b 1856 Bordeaux, d 1927) Born an orphan, Eugene Atget was raised by an uncle before leaving home to try his hand at acting and painting. Eventually he settled on a life as a photographer and he chose the city of Paris as his only subject. Atget recorded every aspect of the city using an antiquated, large-format camera and tripod that he carried around on his back. He captured his images on glass plates and at his death he had nearly 2,000, in addition to the 10,000 prints he left behind. He worked for over thirty years, producing a prolific and focused body of work. Atget considered himself a chronicler of Paris, not an artist, though today he holds the reputation as one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century.