Versailles, Vase par Ballin 1905

Eugène Atget made this photograph, "Versailles, Vase par Ballin," sometime around the turn of the 20th century. I can imagine Atget, setting up his camera in the gardens, waiting for the light just so. It’s a study in contrasts, this image. The solid, sculpted vase, adorned with cherubic figures, sits in stark contrast to the soft, blurred background of trees and sky. The vase itself is so ornate, with its woven lip and regal emblems. Those little cherubs, perched on the edge, heads in hands, seem to be contemplating something. Maybe they're thinking about the weight of history, the fleeting nature of beauty, or just wondering when lunch is. It’s as though Atget is having a conversation with the past, freezing a moment in time while also acknowledging its impermanence. Atget, like many photographers of his time, was documenting a changing world, capturing the beauty and grandeur of old Europe before it disappeared.