Traditional Shopping Gallery

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This is the Passage Jouffroy in the Opera district, on the boulevard Montmartre, only a few doors down from the Grévin wax museum. It is typical of many traditional shopping galleries in the city of Paris, and has existed for over a hundred years. These galleries are very much like shopping centers, but smaller, with shops of all descriptions. Most of them have inconspicuous entrances between other buildings, and follow crooked little paths among the buildings that surround them. They are quite fascinating, often with very unusual shops.

This photograph was taken in the early evening from the entrance of the gallery. In the background, you can see the glass roof over the gallery that allows light to enter during the day. The gallery turns abruptly to the left in the background, then right again, then continues on for a considerable distance, even crossing a street.

Photographed on May 10, 1999.