By the mid-1800s, photography had already carved out its place, snapping stiff portraits, cataloguing plants, mapping far off lands. But around the 1860s, something fresh sparked in the crowded, buzzing streets of growing cities. Early street photography was born, turning the lens loose on the wild, messy pulse of urban life. This wasn’t about posed perfection or grand expeditions, it was about the raw, unscripted energy of the everyday. Photographers stepped out of studios and into the fray, chasing fleeting moments: a kid darting through an alley, a vendor’s shout, the blur of a passing crowd. It was art with grit, a way to catch the beauty and chaos of the streets and hold it still just long enough to feel it.