Modern history

Photographer Julien Knez's work brings Parisian history to life

Last year, the editors of Parigramme contacted photographer Julien Knez for a special project.After seeing his work that juxtaposed photographs of Paris' liberation after World War II with what war sites looked like in the present, they commissioned him to do a series on Parisian history, from 1871 to the famous student protests of May 1968.The result is a series that makes readers remember just how much history is stored in the streets of Paris.The following photographs are a selection from Knez's book, "Paris: Fenêtres sur l'Histoire."

Knez was given access to the Parigramme photo archives. Once he selected photographs, he scouted the exact locations in Paris where they were taken."When historical photographs are inserted into contemporary settings, we open astonishing windows to the past," Knez told Mashable.

Once he found the location, Knez took a series of photographs: some with the vintage photograph in hand, others without. He Photoshopped the pictures together later.
"I was alone so it was to difficult to shoot my hand in the exact position," Knez said.Knez ran into unexpected problems with everything from the weather to the street lights to Parisian traffic to the renovations that many streets have undergone.Despite the challenges, it would be difficult to describe the resulting pictures as anything but la victoire.