Photography's Favorite Subject

No structure has been photographed more frequently or creatively. From the earliest daguerreotypes to Instagram, the tower defines how we see Paris. It's estimated that over 250 million photographs of the tower are taken annually—nearly 500 every minute.

Early photographers like Eugène Atget captured the tower's integration into Parisian life—glimpsed through apartment windows, reflected in puddles, framed by bridges. These images established visual tropes still used today.

Henri Cartier-Bresson's photographs showed the tower as backdrop to human drama—lovers embracing, children playing, protesters marching. His 1954 image of a man jumping a puddle with the tower's reflection created a visual poem about aspiration and grounding.

Contemporary photographer David Hockney notes: "The tower is photography's greatest teacher. It's about perspective, framing, light. Every photographer must eventually photograph it, and in doing so, discovers their own vision. The tower doesn't change; we do."