Paris in 1867: View from the Trocadéro 1867

Maxime Lalanne made this etching, "Paris in 1867: View from the Trocadéro," in France. It gives us a bird's-eye view of the city during a time of immense change. The image depicts Paris as a landscape of industrial and architectural progress, with smoke billowing from factories alongside monuments of French power. This etching hints at the social transformations happening under Napoleon III, who sought to modernize Paris, but whose reign ultimately ended in military defeat and social unrest. Lalanne himself was a teacher at the École Polytechnique, an elite engineering and military academy, and his work reflects an interest in the physical and technological aspects of Parisian life. To truly understand this work, one must delve into the history of Paris, examining sources like city plans, economic reports, and the writings of social critics. This art reminds us that the meaning of a city is always tied to the social and institutional context in which it exists.