Page from a Scrapbook containing Drawings and Several Prints of Architecture, Interiors, Furniture and Other Objects 1795 - 1805

This scrapbook page was composed by Charles Percier around the turn of the 19th century and presents a collection of architectural and design motifs in ink. Percier was a leading architect and designer during the Napoleonic era in France, a time when the aristocracy was reasserting its power, and design was perceived as crucial to the performance of power. Looking closely, we can see how Percier incorporates classical elements, such as symmetry and Greek and Roman motifs, that served as visual symbols of authority and order. The designs offer a glimpse into the aesthetic values of the elite at the time. Consider the intimacy of a scrapbook, a space for personal collection and reflection. This page captures a moment in time when the language of design and the political narratives of power converged, influencing the aesthetic landscape of an era. It evokes a sense of how the personal and the political are always intertwined, shaping our understanding of identity and history.