The French art director Julien Knez — who we first read about on IB Times UK — spent last summer wandering Paris, holding up monochrome photos in front of the camera when capturing the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, iconic streets like Place Vendôme, and the famous department store Printemps.
Knez worked with photos that he found from between 1871 and 1968, bringing key moments from Paris' history — such as the great flood of 1910 and Hitler's visit to the city in 1940 — into its present.
The photographer was approached by the publishing house Parigramme to work on the book, "Paris, Fenêtres Sur l'Histoire," after he completed a similar photography project commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris.
"The overlay of historical photos on contemporary views opened amazing windows to the past," Knez wrote on his website. "Thus, the event that did not necessarily leave physical evidence, recovers a genuine existence and the city today is seen literally inhabited by its history."
Check out a selection of photos from his book below.
Place Vendôme, 1871
Jardin du Luxembourg, 1895
Moulin Rouge, 1900
Quai de Conti, 1900
Place de l’Ope?ra, 1900
Eiffel Tower, 1900
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Arc de Triomphe, 1909
During the great flood, people got through the water-filled metro tracks by boat — Me?tro Ode?on, 1910
Quai d’Orle?ans, 1930
Printemps, Boulevard Haussmann, 1930
Hitler's visit to Place de l’Ope?ra — June 23, 1940
Friends meeting during the Liberation of Paris — Place de l’Ho?tel de Ville, August 1944
Student protests saw cars overturned and set on fire in the Latin Quarter — Rue Gay-Lussac, May 1968
