Reflections of a High Rise Building in a High Rise Building

With the advent of glass-sheathed building in cities, no matter how apparently smooth, the reflections of other buildings on the surface carry the distortions of both the glass and the structure that holds it in place. The fragmented view (in this case) becomes an undulating patchwork of building parts that resemble a white cathedral or mosque more than a business high-rise. In the history of photography, photographers developed a fascination with the reflections of the urban world on the surface of shop windows competing with trying to see what was on the other side of the window. This photograph by French photographer Eugene Atget taken in 1927 on Avenue des Gobelins, Paris provides a good example of this type of seeing brought about by the city.