Bocard, Hélène <br/><br/>
Photography and Urban Transformations in the Nineteenth Century: Innovation and Tradition 

 -  2016.<br/>							 
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<br/><br/> This paper addresses the link between photography and urban transformations in the nineteenth century through two major themes: photography as testimony of major urban construction projects (demolitions, building projects, constructions, creating new roadways or widening existing ones), and photography as a tool for preserving the memory of housing or neighbourhoods that are slated to disappear. The first part of this paper looks at a few examples of major construction projects from the second half of the century (in Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon and Marseille): the context behind the commission of photographic work, the photographer, the photo-taking, the subjects of photographs, the worksites themselves (including equipment and labourers), the construction of new facilities, and the completed developments. In the second part, we focus on the reverse side of these transformations, namely the preservation in images of neighbourhoods slated for partial or total destruction because of these major development projects. We will show how local authorities (sometimes at the behest of historical societies) were concerned about preserving the memory, through images, of buildings threatened or sacrificed in major urban building projects. In addition to the examples of Bordeaux, Lille and Marseille, we will also look at projects in Limoges and Le Mans.