Paris, France —The Seine has always been the major artery in Paris, dividing the city into its two famous banks, the Left Bank and the Right Bank. It has evolved over the years from a place to promenade, a platform for selling wares — including wigs, freshly milked milk and services, like dog grooming — to a bustling pedestrian district. Traffic made its way there and now it has all reverted back to pedestrians and cyclists right on the banks which are still peppered with restaurants, a swimming pool and barges that some people call home. The galerie Roger-Viollet, the Left Bank gallery specialized in photographs of Paris from all ages, is presenting an exhibition devoted to the two banks of the Seine and the activities that have marked it over the years. Entitled Paris, Right Bank/Left Bank, the Banks of the Seine from Labor to Leisure is in full swing as the French capital gears up for the Summer Olympics in 2024 with the opening parade slated to take place on the Seine. 

The exhibition reveals an atypical world that has over the centuries come to life on the banks of the river. Mattress makers, dog groomers, strollers and coachmen bringing their horses to water are just some of the scenes in the 86 photographs on display, all of which can be purchased as a limited edition prints. Floating shops could once be found along what were once wild shores in Antiquity along with ballrooms and concert halls. The beloved Deligny swimming pool — which was built in 1796, the site of the swimming events for the 1900 Olympic Games and which sunk into the Seine in 1993— was one of the most beautiful outdoor pools in the world.

The Seine remains an active artery of leisure and labor with tour boats cruising up and down alongside river barges transporting merchandise, construction materials and much more. And it offers great visual access to some of the French capital’s most emblematic monuments. The exhibition is on until September 30th. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. 6, rue de Seine 75006 Paris, + 33 (0)1 55 42 89 00 http://www.galerie-roger-viollet.fr