La Belle Jardinère: le magasin de la rue de la Cité pendant sa demolition, Paris

1864–66

La Belle Jardinère: le magasin de la rue de la Cité pendant sa demolition, Paris, 1864–66. Attributed to Charles Marville (French, 1816–1879). Albumen print from collodion negative; image: 22.9 x 34.6 cm (9 x 13 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg 2021.64 In the 1850s and 1860s, Paris was transformed through a massive urban renewal program. Charles Marville photographed the demolition of the old Paris and the modern structures that replaced it. Here the old buildings of La Belle Jardinère, one of the first department stores in Paris, are being torn down to make way for a new hospital. In the mid-1820s, the department store being demolished here introduced the idea of selling ready-to-wear clothing.