A butcher, cigarette in hand, carries a carcass out of a van. With its close-up framing, this photograph captures the physical demands of the work at Les Halles. This photograph bears witness to the activity of the old Les Halles market in Paris, before its relocation to Rungis in the 1960s. Following his move to Paris in 1933, Pierre Jahan met Emmanuel Sougez, then director of the photographic department at the newspaper L’Illustration. It was on Sougez's advice that he decided to dedicate himself to photography professionally. At the same time, he worked as a freelance photographer, taking pictures of Paris at night.