Illuminated Newsstand

A few Parisians are gathered around a newsstand, some reading the headlines in the windows, one leaning on the counter ready to buy a newspaper, another reading the magazine L’Illustration in front of the kiosk.

The scene takes place in the evening to emphasize the fact that the newsstand is illuminated from inside. This sort of stall was only beginning to appear at the time. The company that built them received the assent of the government, and kiosks quickly came to replace the self-made shelters that newspaper sellers, who had to stay at the same spot without being allowed to walk around, had ended up building to protect them from bad weather.

The caption reads in the original French: Kioskes lumineux. Nouveaux bureaux pour la vente des journaux sur les boulevards.