Paris Versus New York: The Brooklyn Bridge Versus The Eiffle Tower

I've written about Vahram Auratyan book Paris Versus New York here, where I discuss his juxtaposition of the New York and Paris skies. Here is another juxtaposition which doesn't work quite as well (most of Auratyan's New York and Paris corresponding images are dead on): The Brooklyn Bridge in New York paired with the Pont des Arts in Paris. Auratyan is trying to find a corresponding steel bridge in Paris, and Pont des Arts is probably the only (interesting) one. I've written about the Brooklyn Bridge here, including its architectural history, and I have also posted a large collection of photos of the bridge.

That is not to say the the Pont des Arts is any less beautiful. It is a lovely link between a the majestic Bibliotheque Mazarine and the Louvre grounds. But Auratyan could have chosen a side view of the bridge, showing the metalwork, rather than the wooden footpath.

Pont des Arts side view

Illustrations from Vahram Auratyan's New York Versus Paris
This is his "Brooklyn Bridge/Pont des Arts" juxtaposition

He should have put the Eiffel Tower in this duo, but he put the tower next to the Statue of Liberty (which was a French gift to New York, so it works culturally perhaps, but not architecturally or stylistically, at least superficially - and aesthetically).

My juxtaposition of New York Versus Paris: Brooklyne Bridge Versus The Eiffel Tower. The images are illustrations from Vahram Auratyan's "New York Versus Paris"

Above is my juxtaposition of New York Versus Paris, putting the Eiffel Tower with the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, so it is even in the same era as the Brooklyn Bridge:

In the late-nineteenth century, engineers began experimenting with new ways of using iron and steel. Traditionally these materials were used for transportation structures such as bridges, train tracks, and railway stations. Through trial and error, engineers developed steel skeletons made of vertical columns and horizontal beams to support tall buildings...These design innovations were also used in the construction of famous structures such as the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge.[Source: Museum of Modern Art, Rise of the Modern City]

There is a larger bridge, Pont du Carrousel, which crosses the Seine to the Louvre. It is a little further up the Seine than the Pont des Arts. It is a reconstruction of an older, ornate bridge, but now looks like a slab of concrete. Perhaps Auratyan would have used this with the Brooklyn Bridge were it still standing in its original form.

Drawing of Pont du Carrousel
"Vue des deux rives de la Seine prise du Pont Royal", around mid-1800
Possibly by Gaspard Goubot who also did other delicate watercolors of Parisian buildings and structures.

Turn of the century photo of the old Pont du Carrousel
Date: 1er janvier 1900
Source Les Panoramas de Paris

The current Pont du Carrousel looks like this.