Gezicht op een gang in de Lodewijk XII vleugel van het Kasteel van Blois before 1875

This photograph of the Château de Blois was taken by Médéric Mieusement, sometime in the late 19th century. It is a silver print, a process that was by then well established. But consider what it took to make this image. Beyond the expertise in photographic chemistry, there was the sheer labour required to build the Château itself. We see the marks of stonecutters, masons, and carvers. Each column, each arch, each carefully placed stone speaks to a society organized around skilled work. The photograph captures not only the architecture, but also the social relations that made it possible. Mieusement’s photograph invites us to consider the ways in which human labor shapes our built environment, and how the tools and techniques employed leave their indelible mark. It’s a reminder that even in a seemingly straightforward image, materials, making, and context are crucial to understanding its full meaning.