Fête Vaugirard (Street Fair and Kiosk)

1925

Medium

Gelatin silver printing-out paper print

Dimensions

17.9 × 22.5 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-731224

> Among the aspects of Parisian life that Eugène Atget thought were endangered and wished to record before they disappeared were the seasonal street fairs that occurred in various neighborhoods in the city. Consistent attractions at these carnivals were merry-go-rounds and circuses with menageries and collections of sideshow freaks. His principal subject in this study is a tawdry, painted pavilion that housed an assortment of animals and, behind it, the "modern" Cirque Lambert. Dangling from the porches of both establishments are primitive electric light fixtures that provided nighttime illumination. There is a somewhat puzzling absence of carnival shills and fairgoers in the picture, but litter on the pavement attests to their earlier presence. In 1922 and 1924-27 Atget made other images of this festival, which was held annually in the area of Vaugirard, near Montparnasse. > > Engulfed by the temporary structures of the fête is a domed hexagonal kiosk that was a permanent fixture of the street. It carries advertisements for newspapers, soup, chocolate, winter vacations in Monte Carlo, etc. A more significant indication of the ordinary appearance of the quarter is the multistorie…