Aanleg van de metro in Parijs met de Eiffeltoren op de achtergrond Possibly 1898

Emmanuel L. Pottier captured the construction of the Paris metro with the Eiffel Tower subtly framed in the background in this photograph. Pottier created this work during a period of intense urban development in Paris. The image reveals a moment of transformation. Men are working on the metro’s framework, a symbol of modernity, against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, which had quickly become an iconic landmark. The photo invites us to consider how the city was rapidly evolving, and how these changes impacted the lives of Parisians. Who were these workers, and what were their experiences as they built the infrastructure of a new era? What did this construction mean for the communities being connected, and for those being displaced? This photograph is not just a record of urban development, but also a reflection on progress, labor, and the changing face of a city.