Exterieur van de Madeleinekerk in Parijs 1864 - 1880

This stereoscopic image shows Charles Dauvois' "Exterior of the Madeleine Church in Paris". The photograph is a study in contrasts, with the church’s pale columns sharply defined against the sky. The building’s facade, with its rows of grand Corinthian columns and triangular pediment, reflects an interest in classical ideals of order and symmetry. Presented in a stereoscopic format, the duplication invites a structuralist interpretation of the church. The repetition of architectural form may suggest that Dauvois was not just capturing an image of a church but highlighting a system of architectural signs and symbols. The photograph's engagement with classical forms serves as a semiotic marker within the context of 19th-century Paris, where architecture was often used to communicate ideas of power, stability, and cultural heritage. The formal arrangement and the structural mirroring serve as a lens through which we can examine the church as a cultural text rather than a mere structure.