Troonzaal in het kasteel van Fontainebleau 1858 - 1875

This photograph captures the throne room in the Palace of Fontainebleau, rendered in a way that was then cutting-edge: a stereoscopic view, made by Charles Gaudin. This technique, using a special camera with two lenses, creates an illusion of depth when viewed through a stereoscope. Now, consider what's actually being depicted. Not just opulence, but the very stage upon which power is performed. Think of all the labor and resources required to create this space: the weavers of the fabrics, the carvers of the ornamentation, the gilders applying delicate leaf to surfaces. Each contributes to the effect of absolute authority. Photography, a relatively new medium at the time, democratized access to this image. It allowed the burgeoning middle class to possess a visual fragment of royal grandeur. This raises a question: does the photograph reinforce the power of the throne room, or does it subtly undermine it, by making it reproducible, and therefore, somehow more ordinary? By understanding the interplay of materials, making, and social context, we can begin to appreciate the complex layers of meaning embedded within this seemingly straightforward image.