Paris, 1922: motoring moments in a quiet courtyard

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Tucked away in a courtyard just off the Rue de Valence (No. 7, to be precise) in Paris, we get a rare glimpse into pre-war Parisian motoring as it was, captured in 1922 by photographer Eugène Atget. Atget had been determined “to document all of the architecture and street scenes of Paris before their disappearance through modernisation”, and he noticed this view too. We should be most thankful to him now, almost a century after his death.

At the heart of the scene we see an Edwardian Renault – and do let us know if you recognise the exact model or type. It looks as though the car is missing its headlights; perhaps it was in for some maintenance? The courtyard does seem to be in use as a workshop of some kind, anyway. Is that a chassis behind the car, on blocks? Identifying that will surely include you in the top levels of our sleuthing hall of fame! Oh – and what exactly is that intriguing-looking thing lying next to the Renault..?

The two motorcycles may be of interest, too. Again, we can only guess the manufacturers, since we know next to nothing about these. But we did notice some rather nice details. Is that a boxer-engined bike nearest the camera, or are we seeing things? The fact is, it does sport an impressive klaxon! Notable also are the handlebars of the other bike, with Easy Rider springing to mind!

Thank you, Monsieur Atget, for documenting this lovely glimpse into the past.

Words: Jeroen Booij
Picture: Eugène Atget

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