Taken in September 1849 from a window of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this daguerreotype exhibits the dazzling exactitude and presence that characterize these mirrors of reality. Stationary objects are rendered with remarkable precision, and magnification reveals minute details invisible to the naked eye: architectural ornamentation on the Pavillon de Flore, features of statuary and potted trees in the Tuileries Gardens, chimney pots on buildings along the rue de Rivoli—even the buttons on the uniform of a guard. Also striking is the dramatic rendering of the cloud-laden sky, achieved by masking the upper portion of the plate partway through the exposure.