The curbs of the sidewalk and the sharply angled lines of the dark buildings looming on either side of this image guide the eye along a path through a Paris intersection. Eugène Atget repeatedly photographed this neighborhood, usually during the early morning, when pedestrians were scarce and the streets were tidy. The arrangement of strong horizontal and vertical lines, with the street sharply receding into the distance, resembles a stage set immediately after the curtain rises.