Arc de triomphe de l'Ètoile 1860s

Editor: Here we have Edouard Baldus's photograph "Arc de triomphe de l'\u00c8toile" from the 1860s, a daguerreotype print currently residing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's stately, a little austere, almost frozen in time. I'm struck by its stillness. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, yes, stillness… that’s what gets me, too. It feels like Baldus isn’t just showing us a monument; he’s showing us the idea of permanence, etched in light and shadow. A time capsule if you will. Look how he’s framed the arch – powerful, but not looming. Have you ever wondered about the intentions of those early photographers and why they would choose subjects as simple as buildings, avenues and streets? Editor: You mean like, why capture a static object when you could capture…anything else? Curator: Precisely! Perhaps it's that they sought a means to seize history with tangible accuracy or maybe that early photography simply needed stationary subjects. Either way, there is a particular beauty in that quest to create permanence through technological advancement, dont you agree? Editor: I do! It's like trying to hold onto something fleeting. The city is always changing, but here, Baldus has frozen a single moment. This image almost feels like a symbol now... like a reminder of Paris's long, fascinating history. I came in not even being aware that architecture could hold such intense personal stories.