This is a fascinating historical photograph showing the construction of Pont de Bercy during its 1863-1864 reconstruction phase. The image captures workers on the wooden scaffolding and temporary structures used to build the stone arches of the bridge. You can see numerous workers positioned at different levels of the construction - some standing on top of the temporary wooden frameworks, others on the scaffolding beneath the arches.

The photograph provides a rare glimpse into 19th-century engineering and construction methods. The wooden centering (the curved wooden structures supporting the stone arch construction) is particularly visible, showing how bridge builders of the time would create temporary wooden frameworks to support the stone blocks until the arch was complete and self-supporting. The stone pillars are already in place, and you can see the careful architectural detailing that would become characteristic of this bridge.

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