Sacristie en apsis van de Notre-Dame van Parijs c. 1851 - 1880

F. Chevalier and A. Champeaux created this stereo card of the Sacristy and apse of Notre-Dame in Paris. The image shows us the gothic architecture of the cathedral, which stands as a symbol of French history. The cathedral itself carries significant symbolic weight, historically commissioned by the monarchy and later becoming a focal point during the French Revolution and subsequent political upheavals. Stereo cards like this one were often collected as a way to experience places without traveling there and so we see a democratization of art and culture. The study of these cards involves looking into the socio-political and economic conditions that made their production and distribution possible. They are very much documents of the society in which they were created.