On the Town: Victorian lanterns, granite flagstones, cobbled streets, horse dung. Images of a forgotten Dublin captured by an unknown photographer in the late 19th century were unveiled at the National Photographic Archive in Dublin this week.
The John's Lane and Mullinahack album comprises photographs of many Dublin backstreets, in particular those running between Thomas Street and Ushers Quay on the southside of the city and, to the north, those between Ormond Quay and Mary's Lane.
"What strikes me is how much has changed," said Prof John Turpin, of the National College of Art and Design. "I think the pictures are interesting because they are poetic. They are completely empty. There's a strange eerie poetry about them that is almost surreal.
"In reality they must have been thronged with barrows and carts but the slow exposure time [of the photograph] means that if people moved you would miss them, they would pass through the photograph."
Peter Costello, the Joycean writer and scholar, was impressed by the "atmospheric" quality of the photographs, comparing them to those images of the better-off areas taken by William Lawrence around the same time for use in postcards.
"These are actually the backstreets and the places that were rarely photographed. These give you the other side of Dublin, the dark, narrow quarters, the slums," he said. "These show you a city that has nearly disappeared. It's striking how few people there were on the streets."
"There's great beauty in streets which are cobbled and not overcrowded with people," said Prof Anngret Simms, of UCD's geography department, who was there with her husband, TCD maths lecturer David Simms.
"On the other hand, there's the problem of public services at the time," she added, noting the rubbish and the sewage that was throw into the streets.
"What a murky place Dublin was compared to now," said Dermot McLaughlin, chief executive of Temple Bar Properties.
"It's a beautiful exhibition," said Dr Michael Ryan, director of the Chester Beatty Library and out-going president of the Royal Irish Academy.
"It's wonderful," confirmed Dr Dorothy Donnelly, formerly of TCD.
The Streets Broad and Narrow: Dublin Street Scenes 1888-1889 exhibition runs at the National Photographic Archive in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, until Tuesday, May 24. Opening times: Mondays to Fridays, 10am-5pm; Saturdays, 10am-2pm