Clever images show 1940s Paris & now

A FRENCH photographer has published a clever collection of composite images showing scenes from Nazi-occupied Paris and the liberation, held up against a backdrop of how the same places look today.

Julien Knez visited iconic locations around the capital including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Champs-Elysées and blended the modern-day look with images from the 1940s.

One contrasting image shows tourists at Notre Dame cathedral, set alongside Nazi gunners standing guard. Another shows De Gaulle marching down the Champs-Elysées, where today the scene is of heavy traffic.

In another scene, pedestrians today are engrossed in their smartphones in Saint-Michel - alongside a photo of a burning car in the 1940s.

The full set of images can be seen here.