Gipsmodellen voor beeldhouwwerken op het Palais du Louvre: links "La Guerre" en rechts "La Paix" door Jules Cavelier c. 1855 - 1857

Edouard Baldus made this photograph of plaster models for sculptures on the Palais du Louvre. The photograph encapsulates France's complex relationship with its artistic heritage, caught between revolution and restoration. The image depicts Jules Cavelier's allegorical figures of ‘War’ and ‘Peace’ as preparatory models, not as the final artworks that would adorn a public building. Baldus was commissioned to document the Louvre’s renovations, spearheaded by Napoleon III, transforming the museum into a monumental symbol of French identity and imperial power. Here, the camera trains its eye on the institutions of art, capturing the behind-the-scenes processes of artistic production and display. This documentation makes us consider how institutions mold artistic creation and public perceptions. It is a reminder that photographic archives, architectural plans, and artists’ biographies are indispensable to understanding the social life of art.