When Eugène Atget (1857-1927), on the threshold of the 20th century, wandered through the streets and suburbs of Paris with a then already outdated, bulky and heavy plate camera to photograph small tradesmen, prostitutes, alleyways, backyards, facades, architectural details, parks and street scenes, he did so in the awareness of being an eyewitness to a disappearing world. Although his pictures served as souvenirs or models for painters such as George Braque, André Derain, and Maurice Utrillo, they were also used for prosaic purposes. Atget saw himself as a city archaeologist who, while strolling and photographing, compiled a comprehensive photographic documentation of his adopted home of Paris. Atget remained largely unknown during his lifetime, as his photography differed too much from his preferred painterly soft-focus style in its precision and documentary sharpness.