Great Black and White Photographers pt.2: Biography of Eugene Atget

Biography of Eugene Atget

        Few things are known about famous French photographer, Eugene Atget despite his popularity 

in the Late 1890's. Eugene spent the first years of his life in Provence, but after the Napoleonic wars, 

Agtet and his family moved to the Dordogne River region. His father, Jean-Eugene Agtet passed 

away during a business trip in 1962 when Eugene was only five years of age. Soon after his father's 

passing; his mother, Clara-Adeline perished. The causes of their deaths are uncertain.

        Eugene's works were all photographed in the city of Paris. He described himself as a “Creator 

and Purveyor of a Collection of Photograph Views of Old Paris,” as described on his business card. 

He rarely did work for commercial companies, and almost never sold his "bad" photographs. 

        It seems Agtet's focus was on photographing the fruits of French culture. He built a catalog

 consisting of photographs of houses, streets, shops, and architectural details. Eugene would 

sometimes sell his works to his clients, based on their needs. Agtet was a very successful black and 

white photographer who had a stunning portfolio containing simplistic, breathtaking photographs.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eugene-Atget
https://www.theartstory.org/artist-atget-eugene.htm