Wand in de kamer van de prinses van Rohan in Hôtel de Soubise 1859

Alphonse Guilletat made this print of the wall in the room of the Princess of Rohan in Hôtel de Soubise, using etching. Here we see how the elites of eighteenth-century France made use of architecture and design to publicly project an image of wealth, authority, and refinement. This room reflects the tastes of the Louis XV period, known for its rococo style. The design incorporates asymmetry, serpentine lines, and ornamentation associated with wealth and status. The print itself is an interesting document of institutional history. The architecture of the Hôtel de Soubise reflected the Rohan family's prominent status. This print documents the architecture of the time for posterity. It also reflects a moment in the history of printmaking and how advances in reproducibility technologies were making architecture available for a wider audience. To further understand this work, we can research the history of the Rohan family, the Hôtel de Soubise, and the printmaking practices of the time.