East End, Troyes Cathedral under Restoration, France 1863

Curator: Here we have Charles Marville's "East End, Troyes Cathedral under Restoration, France" from 1863. It’s an albumen print showcasing the Gothic cathedral during a period of significant repair. Editor: It's…unsettling, almost dystopian, seeing that majestic structure surrounded by rubble and scaffolding. The disarray on the ground is quite striking in contrast to the cathedral's intended permanence. Curator: Precisely. Marville, employed to document urban transformations, captured more than just architecture. The image confronts us with themes of decay and rebirth within a complex social fabric. We need to acknowledge that these images occurred when marginalized groups suffered from poverty and displacement. This contrasts against the monumental power the cathedral projects. Editor: Absolutely. You immediately notice the stacks of stone blocks in the foreground, all neatly hewn but chaotic in their placement. You know that stone had to be cut and transported, people had to lift it, it represents labor. These essential acts aren’t divine at all; there is work behind a so-called monument to God. Curator: This makes me wonder what kind of photographic technology was accessible at the time. It would have allowed photographers to record details of the cathedral in a highly specific, if slow, manner. These photographic projects can be interpreted within the broader political shifts toward documentation and archiving in 19th century France. Editor: Thinking about materiality, the rough, unpolished stone at the base compared with the soaring heights of the building. It almost makes me consider it unfinished. There's such an intentional contrast between raw, unfinished materials and the perfected structure above. This focus shifts us towards questions around consumption, permanence and transformation. Curator: A potent reminder that cultural narratives are constantly being reshaped, and these images carry complexities surrounding identity, class, and power, influencing our perception of both the past and the present. Editor: I’m walking away seeing monuments like these, in their incomplete form, as less like testaments to unchanging faith, and more like an accidental ode to process and transformation.