Fabien Breuvart – Images & Portraits

A wander through the Marché des Enfants Rouges will take in flower stalls heavy with fragrant stems, cheese vendors packaging up creamy chunks of Comté, and probably a sizzling Lebanese wrap or bright and colourful brunch. As you take it all in, remember to also stop by Fabien Breuvart’s superb little shop and gallery specialising in anonymous vintage photography, reached from inside the market or via Rue Charlot. Outside are boxes of loose passport photographs for €1, as well as larger mounted images and old packets of postcards. Inside, flip through racks and racks of extraordinary images – funny, strange, tender, mysterious – that Fabien collects as much for the scribblings on the reverse as for the pictures themselves (priced from €7 to around €130). These beautiful images from unknown photographers and their infinite variety of subjects tell thousands of stories and raise even more questions – and are the perfect way to lose an afternoon to browsing.

Fabien also offers a portrait service, and hosts a monthly exhibition on the wall of 35-37 Rue Charlot dedicated to images of the Other; the final flourish of this charming, inspirational and intelligent boutique.