From the Pont des Arts, looking south, the Bibliothèque Mazarine. Established in 1643 by the physician Naudé and named for the Cardinal, France’s first public library contained nearly 40,000 items by 1652.
I recognized the location. I had stumbled onto a photo taken on this street, a portrait, against the wall between the windows on the left, and I knew exactly where it was taken. So I dug into the archive and found this from 2008.