Bovenaanzicht van Île Saint-Louis in Parijs, Frankrijk before 1886

This aerial photograph of Île Saint-Louis in Paris, France, was taken by Gaston Tissandier. We don't know exactly when it was made, but we know Tissandier lived and worked in the second half of the nineteenth century. The image itself is more than just a view of the island. It's a statement about technology and power. Aerial photography was a relatively new invention at the time. Using balloons, photographers like Tissandier could capture views of the world that were previously unimaginable. This bird's-eye perspective allowed for a new way of seeing and understanding urban spaces. The photograph flattens the city into an image that could be seen as something closer to a map. To truly understand this image, we need to dig into the history of photography and ballooning in France. What were the social and political implications of this new technology? How did it change the way people perceived their environment? These are the questions that art historians explore.