Boulevard du Temple
Photographer: Louis Daguerre
Date: 1838
Location: Boulevard du Temple, Paris, France
Louis Daguerre created this early daguerreotype of the Boulevard du Temple in Paris in 1838, making it one of the earliest surviving photographs of a city street. Because the daguerreotype required an exposure of several minutes, the busy street appears completely empty — all the moving traffic and pedestrians were not captured. However, at the lower left of the image, two figures are visible: a man having his shoes shined and the shoeshine boy, both of whom remained still long enough to be recorded. These are believed to be among the earliest known photographs of living human beings. The image is now held at the Stadtmuseum München (Munich City Museum) in Germany.
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