Lying about the sidewalk and on the windowsill are numerous objects and tools from the tinsmith's shop, located inside the darkened doorway. The teapots, pans, and basins easily viewed by passersby would have provided an effective advertisement for this tradesman. The photograph's unusual point of view indicates that Eugène Atget was working in a very narrow passageway, allowing him to record the reflection of sunlight from a variety of timeworn surfaces: battered and abraded stone, scarred metal, and grimy windows.