A Picture Story with a Thousand Props

On the corner of Town Square and Main Street, opposite the Emporium, is Town Square Photography. While the location is the same as similar stores in other Disney Parks, the photo store here in Paris tells its story with a level of detail unmatched anywhere else in the world.

It begins with the etched glass over the doors and this intricate tiled floor just inside the entrance, but the story continues throughout, with more props and details than almost any other single location in the park.

As has been mentioned before, the theme of Main Street is that of progress and innovation. A photographic shop and studio would have been at the forefront of that progress at the time. In addition to offering photographic marvels for sale and display, the proprietors of Town Square Photography were also among the first in town to add electricity to their establishment. Since electric power was retrofitted into an older building, the wires aren't built into the walls. Instead, they can be seen running back and forth between switches, lamps and other fixtures in the shop.

While you're looking up, take note of the collection of antique cameras and photographs on display. These are all genuine articles, many of which are incredibly rare, gathered by the Imagineers who worked on the shop. It's a veritable history lesson of turn-of-the-century photography. Even the photos are the real thing, each selected not only for period authenticity, but to offer a glimpse into the lives of the people who might call Main Street home.

George Eastman, founder of Kodak, was recognized as an innovator across the street at The Emporium. Here, his name and likeness grace the entrance of the Photographic Studio, adjacent to Town Square Photography.

In this corner of the shop are several pockets of storytelling simply bursting with props and details. First is the studio itself. It's a functional space, where guests may have their picture inserted into a variety of Disney-inspired backgrounds using modern technology, but the whole area is dressed in a very rich style appropriate to the time.

Nearby is the darkroom, filled with bottles of chemicals, processing equipment, antique cameras and projectors and photographs hung up to dry. Note the shades, which can be pulled down to create the dark environment needed for film processing.

Across the way, you'll find Eastman's office. It's filled with cameras, pictures of people, pictures of people taking pictures, an old filing cabinet, antique telephone and phonograph.

In the corner is a pot-belly stove, with a kettle on top for hot water for tea. A hat is tossed on the rack. The desk is strewn with stamps, ledgers and loose papers. It's as if Eastman were just here, working away.

Imagineer Eddie Sotto, lead designer on Main Street at Disneyland Paris, tells a story about the creation of this office space. He sat in the office one night and put himself in the character of the studio's owner, moving everything around as if he were really using it. After a couple hours, he walked away, leaving everything just as it was. In the end, his attention to detail added that extra layer of believability to the story that simply "designing" the space could never have achieved.