Afgietsels van bustes van Charles IX en Henri III 1850 - 1900

Médéric Mieusement made this photograph of plaster casts of busts depicting Charles IX and Henri III. It was made in France, likely in the late nineteenth century, when photography was being used more and more to document artworks. In this image, we can see the way that photography was used in the service of art history and institutional memory. The photograph acts as a record and an archive. Museums and other cultural institutions create and maintain archives to remember their own histories and validate their authority as keepers of culture. The choice of subject is also revealing: Charles IX and Henri III, both French monarchs, underscore the cultural and nationalistic function of museums in preserving France’s cultural heritage. Understanding this artwork means considering both the history of photography and the development of museums. Researching the acquisition history of these plaster casts might reveal even more about the cultural values at play.