Yeah, that's about how the prints look, although quite a number of them suffer somewhat from mildew stain and paper discoloration. And they were strictly contact prints. But restored images are sometimes made from his negatives rather than scanning actual prints. Coy prints on modern papers are often too contrasty and cold-toned to faithfully represent the original concept.
Women looking out of windows or doorways often indicate seedy street brothels. He hunted out older rundown parts of town which remained after the massive remodeling of Paris under Napoleon III (which he strongly disapproved of - he wanted to record the "authentic French culture" instead). You can see just how primitive the sanitation or sewer itself was, running right down the middle of a narrow crooked street.
The more open shadow light in that particular image suits his style. It's probably on printing-out paper, although the look is almost like albumen were it not for the yellowness. It was obviously poorly stored prior to modern archiving, with a lot of edge stain and general paper yellowing. Probably worth a lot due to being an original with all the necessary notations. Not one of my personal favorites, but still, all the characteristic compositional balance and charm is there; and yes, the touch of secondary details too. He probably asked the women to pose in the window.
His gear and technique were anachronistic even in his own day. But oh those compositions! - presciently modern, like a masterful jigsaw puzzle with every piece fitting just right. The whole thing in this case feels like it is just about to tumble down due to being top-heavy, and is deliberately skewed. Even the upper corner vignetting plays its role, as it so often does in his work. It's like looking into an alcove in a sandstone canyon.
with a black cloth on the streets of my hometown would also make me look ridiculous.
