Paris in transition.

French photographer Charles Marville (1813-79) documented Paris before Baron Haussmann tore down the old city and built what we now know as the most beautiful city in western civilization. The narrow streets and crowding gave way to Haussmann’s magnificent Avenues and Boulevards, and Marville’s images are a fine record of the Paris of old.

The show is currently running at the Met in New York though May 4, 2014, and you can read more about the man and his mission in the NYT here.

Update March 2014: A fine piece from the NYT.