Step back in time with this rare daguerreotype, Vue de Paris: La Seine, le Louvre et la statue d'Henri IV, captured around 1840 by Vincent Chevalier, a pioneering figure in early photography.

This full-plate image, mounted under a passe-partout with Chevalier's studio label on the verso (Quai de l'Horloge no. 69), offers a glimpse of Paris during a transformative era. The statue of Henri IV on the Pont Neuf stands prominently in the foreground, overlooking the Seine as it flows past the grand façade of the Louvre, a symbol of the city’s rich history.

Interestingly, the daguerreotype process reverses the scene laterally, so the Louvre appears on the left side of the Seine, though in reality, it sits on the right bank when looking downstream—a quirk of this early photographic method that adds to its historical charm.

The soft, ethereal quality of the daguerreotype lends an almost dreamlike atmosphere, preserving a moment when Paris was on the cusp of modernity under the reign of King Louis-Philippe.

Chevalier, an optician and collaborator with Louis Daguerre himself, was instrumental in refining the lenses that made such early photographic feats possible, and this image showcases his mastery.

In the 1840s, Paris was a city of contrasts: the Industrial Revolution was beginning to reshape its streets, yet the elegance of its past remained ever-present in landmarks like the Louvre and the equestrian statue of Henri IV, erected in 1818.

🇫🇷 Experience Paris like a local with our free weekly Paris-themed newsletter. Get It Here

✨ Just Discovering Us?

Join thousands of Paris lovers getting daily doses of beauty in their inbox.