A boy pushes an overloaded cart through a picturesque city square. A soldier with a wooden leg stands next to a cannon, his uniform covered with medals. A group of young performers in period costume assemble around a statue. Then there’s this shot of the original Moulin Rouge, an architectural gem of the Belle Époque that would be destroyed in a fire the following year. Unearthed by Retronaut, these color photos of Paris back 1914 are not only lovely to look at, they’re incredibly narrative, like a visual prompt for the kind of stories that Hemingway would write about the city in the decade to come. If you need an escape from the impending holiday drama, or you’d just like travel over a hundred years back in time, click through our slideshow now!

Image via Retronaut

Image via Retronaut

Image via Retronaut

Image via Retronaut

Image via Retronaut

Image via Retronaut

Image via Retronaut

Image via Retronaut

Image via Retronaut

Image via Retronaut