Eugene Atget and his Style

Eugene Atget was very unique in that he used practices, techniques, and a camera that were outdated by his time. This didn't stop him from both documenting history and capturing the world (particularly Paris) in the time period before the buildings were demolished or remodeled during urbanization and modernization. He used a large-format view camera, which was cumbersome to carry around, but he used it to take pictures of Paris as it was; gardens, streets, storefronts...
Although he wasn't a mover or shaker in the photography world (preferring to be called an "author-producer"), he produced photographs for the visual quality and aesthetic of the image.
Bernice Abbot saved his images from washing away into history, as she found his negatives just before his death and printed them. She and Man Ray used him as inspiration.

(Info from http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails?maker=176
http://www.atgetphotography.com/The-Photographers/Eugene-Atget.html )
(Image http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=229 )