Voorgevel van de Kathedraal van Lyon before 1841

Friedrich Salathé’s Voorgevel van de Kathedraal van Lyon is a print of the front of the cathedral whose exact creation date is unknown, but it was made sometime between the late 18th and mid 19th century. Salathé lived through a period of massive social upheaval, with revolution and industrialization transforming Europe. This print invites us to reflect on the relationship between institutions like the church and those shifts. Cathedrals, of course, were not simply places of worship; they were powerful symbols of authority. Observe how the imposing facade dwarfs the figures at the base of the structure. What does it mean to depict ordinary people alongside such an imposing symbol? The artwork touches on the church's complex relationship to gender, race and class. Religious institutions often reinforced societal norms, dictating roles and behaviors. How do these historical power dynamics affect our experience of the print?