August 03, 2007

100 years ago

For (at least my own) fun, I have again made a comparison between what the streets in my quarter looked like some 100 years ago and today. A few weeks ago I already compared a view from my street; this time I have found some postcards from the two closest crossing streets. The first view has actually been taken on the same street corner as the one I previously presented; only the direction is different.

I guess we can all agree that not very much has changed except that the streets today are fuller with parked cars and that shops, restaurants, cafés have changed activities and owners. Actually, most of these buildings were probably already some fifty years old when the postcards were made.

From the third view we can see that the blind wall has been cleaned and repainted, but perhaps also lost some charm. Anyhow, the brand DUFAYEL (a department store) which you can see on the postcard has disappeared since.

On the first comparative “slide”, please note on my photo (you need good eyes) the shoes hanging in the air. This now wide spread fashion had its Paris start here. On the accompanying postcard, a certain Georgette has written “Mille gros baisers” and I transmit this message to you, wishing you all a nice weekend!

(Time for a short break again; visitors around. See you on Monday!)

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, that's brilliant!

I intend to do something similar on my photo blog.

joy
Norwich Daily Photo

Annie said...

Now that is fascinating, Peter. Your town honors it's past, that's clear to see.

GMG said...

It's amazing how Paris kept its buildings. Quite a difference to Lisbon, which destroyed most of its memories. Only exceptions: some monuments and a few quarters, namely the downtown area (from immediately after the 1755 earthquake).
Loved your Opera post also. Great pictures again, and congratulations for the award!

Emilieee said...

Wow.. Nothing much has changed. The buildings are still being well-kept. Your government has done a great job on maintaining the whole building. Nice photos!

Shammickite said...

How fascinating, the see the "before" and "after" pictures together. Not much has changed, the buildings have been modernised in some places, but much remains the same. Thanks for showing me this!

Azer Mantessa said...

wow! well preserved pictures!

nothing much has changed.

btw, a midi composition is titled 'Peter Olson In Paris' and is dedicated to you at:

http://www.diary.cadenza.org/azer-mantessa/peter-olson-in-paris.htm

hope you like it.

Olivier said...

ceci est une tres bonne idee, si on y regarde bien, cela n'a pas trop changer (ce qui est surprenant).

J'adore un livre sur NYC , qui s'appelle New York Changing, où un photographe a suivi les traces de la grande photographe Berenice Abott soixante plus tard.

Je te souhaite un bon weekend.

hpy said...

Ce que je regrette quand je souhaite faire des photos en ville, ce sont les voitures. Il y en a partout, mais c'est vrai, elles font aujourd'hui partie du paysage, alors il faudrait que j'apprenne à les accepter.
Bon WE.
(Tu es toujours le bienvenu en Normandie.)

Peter said...

azer mantessa:
Sincere thanks for this honor. I appreciate and like very much. You can find the picture and the address to your picture and music files on the right side.

Anonymous said...

Bravo Peter pour cet excellente série avant/après. Ces petites rues n'ont pas tellement changé au fond... à part pour les voitures et je suis d'accord avec HPY, quelle plaie visuelle !!!!
(le mot eyesore est le plus adapté!)

Merci Peter pour ton gentil mot sur SDS, j'espère que mon retour en France nous donnera l'occasion de nous rencontrer un jour. Je suis à Avignon et il fait grand bleu !

SusuPetal said...

This was a good serie!

Cars! As convenient as they are from time to time, it seems impossible to take a photo in the city without any cars hanging in some corner. Sometimes it's frustrating.

Chuckeroon said...

Poor motor car...no-one likes it. But they are the street photographer's misery. Oh that bag of contradictions that is man.

Kate said...

Perhaps when there is little change there is greater stability? I'd like to think so, tho, even if it might not be accurate.

marie6 said...

I like these pictures showing the before and now, it's always interesting to see what changes time does to a place.
Enjoy your weekend with friends!

Mélisse said...

Cela fait quelques semaines à peine que j'ai remarqué les premières chaussures suspendues dans ma bonne ville, je me demandais d'ou pouvait bien venir ce phénomène qui m'a tout l'air d'être mondial...une des nombreuses théories est que c'est pour signaler l'emplacement où sévit un dealer...heu tu en as dans ta rue ?

Anonymous said...

un petit conseil pour hpy: prendre un bâton de TNT, faire sauter les voitures, ramasser les débris et ensuite faire la photo. :-)

isa said...

What a superb job on duplicating the photos, Peter!

And if you ask me (I know, I know, nobody did!) that blind wall (formerly DUFAYEL), should have some trompe l'oeil à la Lyonnaise ;-)

Bon weekend!

Peter said...

mélisse:
On disait ça pour les dealers, mais je criis que maintenant c'est juste une manière de se distraire. Pour le moment on m'a rien proposé ici.

isabella:
On voit assez souvent des trompe d'oeil, mais ici ça été oublié. Je vais faire une proposition au maire.

Anonymous said...

I love that you're doing this. It must be a lot of fun to take the pictures after seeing the postcards.

Anonymous said...

Excellent comparison! I have also had this idea from my hometown Turku (Åbo på svenska). I have quite a pile of old post cards from Turku. Some weekend I should take them with me and visit my old hometown with a camera. It remains to be seen if I'll be active enough to do that...

Ming the Merciless said...

Thanks for continuingly visit NYCDP.

I love the chronologically description in the photos.

Ash said...

Wow - thats so interesting to see!Amazing!!

GMG said...

Peter, I was in Lima, Peru, and the only advise I can give you is to be alert with pickpockets! Usually ladies with lots of kids around... They send some sand or whatever garbage from your back to your hair, and when you take the hand from your pocket to clean it, your wallet is immediately cleaned from your pocket. Perfection in action. Absolutely professional! It was the only place in the world where I saw my wallet flying, and it was this way... in downtown area. When I got to the police to place a claim, at 1:30 p.m., there a Japanese complaining that is camera had been stolen. It was the 12th (twelfeth) on that morning only... So Beware!
Once, I had everything planned with some friends to go to Machu Picchu, one of my dreams: but then, there was a Sendero Luminoso attack in the area and they gave up... Another time there was a meeting in Cuzco, but I had no patience for the head of delegation and told him I couldn't go... So these are my misadventures with Peru; In Bolívia I was at Santa Cruz de La Sierra - perfectly doable. Have one picture of a group meeting at http://blogtrotta.blogspot.com/2006/10/for-record.html. But I missed Titicaca, and La Paz...Hope you have a wonderful journey!
Take care and enjoy. We'll miss your posts and comments for a while!

Mona said...

very interesting indeed Peter. This was a brilliant idea! I love the comparing & contrasting views, that exhibit the change which passage of time brings. This post is almost poetic in content. I love the theme!

Shionge said...

Oh Wow! Cool to be able to look at the comparison now Peter...have a nice weekend pal...thanks for your thoughts too :D

Jules said...

As usual a very interesting and visually stunning post. It is so good to see that nothing much has changed.

Kalyan Panja said...

Fabulous depiction of your town...very well done!

Anonymous said...

That's so charming about old Paris (and new Paris). Not much change.

Anonymous said...

The windows have changed a lot. Not much else. To me. I look at windows. I used to be a window trimmer in another life.

Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo

sonia a. mascaro said...

Great post, Peter! I enjoyed so much to see the streets in your quarter looked like some 100 years ago and today! Just amazing! Well done!

Cuckoo said...

Not only for your fun. There are people like me who are amazed as well.

black feline said...

clap clap clap...bravo...great effort...even the angle taken almost identical..and not much changes too!

San Nakji said...

Wow, that's really clever. I am impressed! You definitely have talent!

Peter said...

Could anyone explain why the everything is straight on the 100 years old pictures and that the houses are "leaning" on the ones I have taken?