Gezicht op de Boulevard Saint-Denis richting de Porte Saint-Denis, Parijs 1860 - 1865

Marcel Gustave Laverdet captured this image of the Boulevard Saint-Denis in Paris, using photography, a relatively new medium, and while the exact date is unknown, this new technology captured not only the grand architecture of the city but also the bustling life within it. The photograph shows a street teeming with activity, full of pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages. This image can be seen as a document of urban life in Paris, perhaps in the late 19th century. Laverdet’s choice to focus on a busy boulevard and the Porte Saint-Denis is interesting from an institutional perspective. The Boulevard was one of Haussmann's projects. It was intended to modernize the city and thus also served as a way of controlling the population of Paris. The fact that this photograph was taken, shows an active interest in this modernization. Understanding this image fully would require further research into the urban planning policies of the time, as well as the broader social and cultural context of Parisian life.