Accession Number
1974/1.121

Title
Boucherie, Rue Christine

Artist(s)
Eugène Atget; Berenice Abbott

Artist Nationality
French (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1923 - 1924

Medium & Support
gold-toned gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
10 in x 13 in (25.4 cm x 33.02 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Subject matter
In this tightly framed photograph of the display window of a butcher's shop, Atget aligns a series of rectangles: the shop sign, the entryway, even the shape of the display case inside. This geometric rhythm is broken by the carcasses of varying shapes and sizes that hang from the window frame, bright white in the reflected sunlight. The dimness of the interior makes it impossible to see inside the shop, forcing the viewer to consider the forms of flayed flesh at the center of the image. As with many of Atget's photographs, the subject oscillates between the general and the specific. The title and inclusion of the shop sign identifies this as a particular butcher on the Rue Christine in the sixth arrondisement of Paris, but by cropping out all contextual detail Atget renders the image resonant of a generic type, as well.

Physical Description
Display window of a butcher's shop.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
buildings
butcher shops
documentary photography
grocery stores
meat
modern and contemporary art
streets