Catacombes De Paris 1861

Editor: This photograph, “Catacombes De Paris” by Felix Nadar, made in 1861 using a gelatin silver print, is deeply unsettling. The sheer number of bones, carefully arranged, creates a macabre scene. What should we take away from it? Curator: We need to think about the material reality: consider Nadar’s innovative use of artificial light. What processes were used to create such images in that era? These bones didn't just *appear* like this - how did the process of exhumation, transportation and arrangement become, in Nadar's hands, something bordering on aesthetic spectacle? Editor: So you're saying that it's about how the photo itself became possible and less about death? Curator: Partly, yes. These are the bones of the working class, removed from overcrowded cemeteries in Paris and displayed as decoration. Nadar is not only recording but perhaps unintentionally aestheticizing the exploitation of the working classes in this image. Consider also, how did these bones turn into a product, transformed by both civic management and photographic processing? Editor: That is so creepy. To think of the bones arranged, cataloged, presented... Curator: Precisely. It invites you to question labor practices, the treatment of the dead, and the photographic methods shaping perception. Where does the documentation end, and exploitation begin? Editor: It's less of a symbol of death and more of a record of how society treats its dead, especially the poor. Curator: Absolutely, we often fixate on symbolism in art but to neglect production – of the image itself, or the source material – is a loss. Editor: I see what you mean. By looking at how it was made and the source material changes my interpretation completely. Thank you.