Tower Struck by Lightning, Saint-Ouen Bay 1854

This is Thomas Sutton’s photograph, ‘Tower Struck by Lightning, Saint-Ouen Bay’, created sometime in the mid-nineteenth century. It presents us with an image of ruin and decay that hints at something more than simply the destructive power of nature. In the nineteenth century, photography was rapidly developing as both an artistic medium and a tool for documentation. It was being institutionalized by emerging photographic societies, and used by the state. Given this context, consider Sutton’s choice of subject. The ruined tower can be read as a symbol of the decline of established orders in the face of modernity. The tower itself, once a structure of defense and authority, is now crumbling, vulnerable to the elements. Was Sutton perhaps commenting on the changing social and political landscape of his time? To understand Sutton’s photograph more fully, we need to look to the social and institutional contexts in which it was made. Through archival research and critical analysis, we can uncover the complex meanings embedded within this seemingly simple image.