An original subject for this new exhibition at the museum of Parisian history: photos of what life was really like in the city’s prisons, with shots mostly from the 19th and 20th centuries that will put shivers down your spine…
What do we know about the realities of prison life? Can photography properly depict it?

The exhibition at the musée Carnavalet brings together 350 photos taken in Paris’ prison between 1851 and the present day. The collection is the result of a global inventory of 3,800 images, taken by the organisers of the exhibition who looked through the collections of museums, libraries, archives, press agencies and private collectors.

If you would like to see a different side to the history of our city, this exhibition should be of interest to you.

The exhibition l’Impossible Photographie, prisons parisiennes (1851-2010) is at the Musée Carnavalet (here) from 10th February – 4th July 2010. Open every days except Mondays and public holidays from 10am – 6pm. Last entry at 5.30pm. Admission free.

Official site of the Musée Carnavalet (in French only): www.carnavalet.paris.fr