City night or homage to the artificial light
With the introduction of artificial light it was possible to photograph the city at night. There was also something to photograph. The street lights invited people into the streets. The difference between life during the day and life at night became smaller.
Street lights also had a big disadvantage: light pollution. The satellite pictures of Belgium at night are well known: a bright triangle in the middle of Europe. Astronomers are very unhappy as their stars have become nearly invisible.