Paris then and now

Paris is a city of love, romance and, of course, beautiful architecture. This then and now issue features amazing photographs taken in the early 1900s. These pictures were hand-coloured. And looking at the photographs of these same places, taken recently, you understand that over the past hundred years, Paris has not changed so much.

(Total 26 photos)

1. Then: Church of St. Augustine in the 18th arrondissement of Paris then…

2. Now: “The crews”, of course, have changed. And there are no tram tracks on the roads.

3. Then: View of the Seine next to the Ile de la Cité.

4. Now: little has changed.

5. Then: Hotel de Ville (town hall).

6. Now: not changed at all.

7. Then: Place Vendôme in the early 1900s.

8. Now: The Ritz Paris is still standing, but the area has been cleaner and is now paved.

9. Then: The Opera House on a busy day.

10. Now: Still a popular attraction.

11. Then: pedestrians and carts on the Pont Neuf.

12. Now: Similar, but now you can see the iconic building La Samaritaine (a former department store built in 1933).

13. Then: booksellers along the Seine.

14. Now: The tradition of second-hand booksellers is still alive.

15. Then: flower stalls overlooking the right bank of the Seine.

16. Now: on certain days, you can still buy flowers in the same place.

17. Then: Pont Saint-Michel overlooking the Ile de la Cité. The spiers of the Sainte-Chapelle are clearly visible on the left.

18. Now: The buildings of local merchants have been replaced by a government building.

19. Then: Bourse is a Parisian bank.

20 Now: Outbuildings were added in the early 1900s. Now it is more of an exhibition hall.

21. Then: rue Rivoli on the northeast corner of the Tuileries.

22. Now: very similar, except for top hats and umbrellas.

23. Then: the Madeleine church in the 18th arrondissement.

24. Now: it seems that even the trees have survived!

25. Then: Peace Street.

26. Now: the same, although the traffic on the roads has become much denser.