Gezicht op het meer en een huis in Le Hameau de la Reine bij het Petit Trianon 1860 - 1880

This is a stereo card photograph of a lake and house in Le Hameau de la Reine, near the Petit Trianon, created by Ernest Eléonor Pierre Lamy. At first glance, the photograph offers a tranquil, structured landscape, dominated by horizontal lines of water and architecture, balanced by vertical trees. The monochromatic sepia tone evokes a sense of nostalgia, typical of the medium. The photograph's composition creates meaning through its precise organization of space. The lake acts as a mirror, doubling the architectural elements and blurring the boundary between the real and its reflection. This doubling effect, inherent in the stereo card format, invites us to consider ideas of representation and reality. The house, framed by the surrounding trees, suggests a constructed, idealized nature, in line with the artifice of royal retreats. Notice how the symmetry invites a semiotic reading, where each element – the lake, the house, the trees – functions as a signifier within a larger cultural code of leisure and power. The muted tones contribute to a feeling of distance, emphasizing the constructed nature of this pastoral scene. This photograph prompts us to question the relationship between nature and artifice and how such landscapes reflect broader social and philosophical constructs.