Watervallen in de tuin van het Kasteel van Saint-Cloud c. 1860 - 1880

Albert Hautecoeur created this stereoscopic albumen print showing the waterfalls in the garden of the castle of Saint-Cloud, Paris, sometime after 1849. Stereoscopic photos like this one provided a deeply immersive experience for viewers, and became extremely popular in the mid-19th century. Saint-Cloud’s palace and gardens were built and expanded over centuries by the French aristocracy, but were largely destroyed during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. Hautecoeur’s photograph captures a moment in time just before these spaces were forever changed. Looking at this image now, what does it mean to capture a moment in time, knowing that it is fleeting? The fountains and gardens are still there, albeit altered. What can we learn from photography about the relationship between history, memory, and place? The art reminds us to reflect on what we preserve, what we destroy, and how our actions shape the world around us.