Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris 1830 - 1890

This is Eugène Cicéri’s, *Design for a Stage Set at the Opéra, Paris.* Consider the Paris Opera in the 19th century as a cultural institution deeply entwined with the social and political structures of its time. Here, in this drawing, Cicéri offers us a glimpse behind the scenes. As a stage designer he contributed to the spectacle that reinforced societal norms and expectations. Think about the implications of staging nature within the confines of the opera house. The tree becomes a symbol, a backdrop against which human dramas unfold. Are these dramas about power, love, betrayal, or freedom? This image invites us to reflect on the constructedness of the opera, and to interrogate the stories it tells. Cicéri asks us to consider what these meticulously designed sets reveal about the cultural values of the time, and about our own relationship to both nature and performance.