La Bièvre 1863 - 1867

Charles Marville made this albumen print, La Bièvre, using a process that was relatively new in his time, but which preserved a very old reality. Notice the incredible detail that this photographic process captures in the buildings. The Bièvre River itself was crucial to the area’s industry, powering mills and tanneries that made use of its water. It also carried away waste – solid and liquid. Over time, it became a symbol of urban decay, and the poverty of the working class who lived and labored alongside it. Marville’s image, with its tonal range and sharp focus, presents this subject with an unflinching eye. The very act of photographic documentation implies a kind of respect, even for an unglamorous subject. In its own way, this photograph asks us to consider the social consequences of industrial production, and the value of the labor that it entails.