Les Chiens de Paris

Nowhere are dogs more widely pampered by their owners than in the City of Light. Canines of varying breeds appear, well-fed and immaculately groomed, in all aspects of Parisian life, whether they are riding the Metro, sitting in the front seat of a taxi, or relaxing side by side with their maitre at a cafe table. Great photographers have long been fascinated by the city's obsession with dogs and, in Les Chiens de Paris, Barnaby Conrad III has amassed an irresistible collection of photographs of Parisian dogs taken over the last century. From Nadar's touching 1865 portrait of a boy and his dog to huge hounds, miniature pooches, and jounty mongrels captured by Lartigue in the Bois de Bologne, Erwitt in the Boulevard St. Germain, Doisneau at the Louvre, and Cartier-Bresson along the Seine, these timeless, duotone images resonate with comedy, poignancy, and joie de vivre.