Sarah Kennel introduces the life and work of Charles Marville, an artist-turned-photographer who documented Paris during a period of tremendous upheaval and urban transformation. As official photographer for the city of Paris, Marville recorded in lush detail both the streets and structures of the old city that was slated for imminent destruction as well as the emerging spectacle of the new city, complete with extensive pleasure parks, elegant, broad boulevards and ornate gas lamps.

Brilliantly merging artistic sensibility with documentary intent, Marville's photographs of Paris offer a powerful and evocative account of modernity and modernization in the City of Light.

This talk is preceded by a related lecture, "History, Modernity, and Nature in Early French Photography." A reception to meet the speakers and a viewing of the exhibition Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris follow this lecture.