Willow (Saule)

At the turn of the century, Atget began systematically photographing Parisian street life, shops, and architecture. Over thirty years of work produced an archive of some 8,500 images, most in multiple prints, which he sold as "documents for artists" to stage designers, interior decorators, and painters. World War I brought Atget's business to a halt, transforming the photographer's perception of himself and life's priorities: as the bombardment of Paris intensified, Atget carried his negatives to the cellar and drew up his will. After the war, demand for documents of Old Paris sharply declined, and Atget started to make more personal pictures. The photographs he made late in life, such as this study of a solitary, leafless willow tree, are among his most moving and meditative.