Troon in het Palais du Luxembourg te Parijs c. 1860 - 1880

Ernest Eléonor Pierre Lamy made this stereograph of the throne room in the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris sometime in the mid-19th century. This photographic technique, popular at the time, uses two slightly different images to create a single three-dimensional picture when viewed through a stereoscope. What we see is an opulent interior. Winged statues flank the multi-tiered dais, all overshadowed by a domed baldachin. The Palais du Luxembourg, built in the early 17th century, has a rich institutional history, having served as a royal residence, a prison during the Revolution, and, at this time, the French Senate. Lamy's photograph reflects the Second Empire's attempt to assert power through visual spectacle. The photograph, then, serves not just as a record but as a participant in constructing and reinforcing imperial authority. To fully understand a work like this, the art historian must delve into the social and political context of its creation, using archives and collections like this one. Art exists within and actively shapes the world around it.