Brassai was born in Brasso, Transylvania, Hungary, and the town from which the pseudonym of Brassai is derived.  In 1924 Brassai moved to Paris, where he began taking numerous pictures of Parisian nightlife and moved from the streets to the inside of cafes and bars.  In this photograph, At Maxim’s, which was shot during the early 1930s, Brassai expresses his feelings about the upper class society and its desire to conform to the pressures of society.  Through the use of two mirrors, Brassai makes the cafe feel crowded by its upper-class patrons, although only fifteen were truly present in Maxim's at the time.  In addition, Brassai uses perspectives to involve the observer in the café’s chaos while still giving the viewer the feeling of being a flaneur, or an observer of the cafe.  Brassai truly captures
these two worlds in one photograph.
 
 

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Maxim's Cafe  For over a century, Maxim's has been a symbol.  The most famous people in the world have graced this magic landmark of Parisian life that shines today like a beacon across the world.