The photograph “By the railings around the Luxembourg Gardens” was taken by artist Robert Doisneau in the year 1953. It depicts a candid moment on a street scene, which appears to be outside the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris.
The photograph is a black and white image capturing an intimate moment between two people who seem to be sharing a kiss while standing at a newsstand. The man is wearing a suit and a wide-brimmed hat and is leaning down towards the woman, who is dressed in a coat and is holding newspapers. The newsstand is sheltered by an umbrella, implying it might be a rainy or sunny day.
In the background, there’s an older gentleman to the left observing the couple, and there appears to be a series of illustrations or possibly cartoon drawings posted on a wall behind the main subjects. The overall atmosphere is one of everyday Parisian life, captured with a sense of romance and nostalgia common to Doisneau’s work.