Soirée de Gala chez Maxim's, Paris

Brassaï’s images of Paris at night provide glimpses of the city’s different lives. One popular locale was the restaurant Maxim’s, which opened in 1893. Maxim’s soon became the place to see and be seen. The restaurant’s fortunes shifted over the decades, including during both World Wars. After the Second World War, Maxim’s reopened. Guests such as the shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis (at left in dark eyeglasses) and Joseph and Rose Kennedy (at bottom left) joined the dozens of other guests reflected in the restaurant’s ornate mirrors.