Arriving in Paris in 1924, Brassaï rapidly became a shrewd observer of nocturnal Parisian life. He sensed that photography was the tool that would allow him to document his vision of a dying society.
Fascinated by the night, which he found disconcerting, enigmatic, and suggestive, Brassaï photographed its every aspect, from police to prostitutes to the homeless to socialites, all in a dreamlike and mysterious manner.