What if we went back along the Seine as if we were going back the hands of time?

This summer, the Quai de la Photo, a floating urban art center dedicated to photography, celebrates the Seine, this emblematic river which has shaped the identity of Paris for centuries, through a completely free exhibition entitled Right Bank, Left Bank.

From June 5 to September 8, 2024, visitors are invited to embark on a journey through time to the heart of the history of the banks of the Seine. In partnership with the gallery and the historical agency Roger-Viollet, this exhibition presents more than 80 photographs dating from the second half of the 19th ^th century to the 1960, thus offering a panoramic vision of the developments of the river and its surroundings.

The exhibition “ Right Bank, Left Bank ” immerses visitors in a rich and varied visual universe, captured by a multitude of renowned photographers such as Janine Niépce, Eugène Atget, Jacques Boyer, René- Jacques, and the famous Léon & Lévy, known for his production of emblematic postcards of the city.

The exhibition offers a real social and historical journey through the banks of the Seine, revealing the metamorphoses of this emblematic watercourse over time. Striking photos bear witness to the intense activity that once animated the banks, where we came across pell-mell itinerant wigmakers, dog shearers, cowherds selling milk, families looking for entertainment, and children playing games. Waterside.

From the excitement of taverns and concert cafés to the industrial challenges posed by the Universal Exhibition of 1900, through the nostalgia of summer swimming and river walks, each photograph immerses us in the fascinating history of the banks of the Seine.

At the heart of the floating art center, moored in the 13th^th arrondissement of Paris, these photographs transport us into a universe where the past and the present blend harmoniously, offering a unique perspective on the soul of Paris.