Caillebottepainted this monumental work when he was 29 years old. One of the most remarkable essays in urban Realism produced during the nineteenth century, it gives an insight into the extraordinary effect that the development of this district must have das on the artist – whenCaillebottewas born the area was a relatively unsettled hill outside the city limits. Instead of the bustling crowds seen in so many Impressionist street scenes, such as Monet’s Boulevard des Capucines this painting shows a vast expanse peopled by isolated pedestrians.