[Charles Garnier in the Drafting Room While Designing the New Paris Opera] 1868 - 1872

Louis-Emile Durandelle made this albumen print, "Charles Garnier in the Drafting Room While Designing the New Paris Opera," sometime in the 19th century. It captures Garnier and his team amidst the challenging process of designing the opera house, a project commissioned by Napoleon III as part of his ambitious plan to modernize Paris. The image offers a glimpse into the institutional and social context of architectural production. The drafting room, filled with models and drawings, reflects the intellectual labor involved in shaping the city. Durandelle’s photo, in its medium and composition, speaks to the rise of photography as a tool for documenting progress and promoting the image of a modernizing France. We can better understand the social and cultural forces that shaped this artwork by studying archival documents, architectural treatises, and period accounts of the Opera's construction. These resources help us understand how the Opera was designed to project power, wealth, and cultural prestige.