Gezicht op het Paleizenplein met links het Koninklijk Paleis van Brussel 1866 - 1870

This stereo card depicts the Place des Palais in Brussels, with the Royal Palace, captured by Jules Hippolyte Quéval. The dual image, designed for stereoscopic viewing, invites us into a carefully constructed vision of Belgian identity in the mid-19th century. Quéval's choice to photograph the Palace is telling. Newly independent, Belgium was figuring out how to represent itself on the world stage, carefully crafting a national identity centered around its monarchy. However, this focus on regal grandeur often obscured the realities of industrialization and class division. The emptiness of the square in Quéval's photograph speaks volumes. While seemingly a neutral depiction, the absence of everyday people subtly reinforces the Palace’s symbolic power. Quéval’s photograph prompts us to consider whose stories are being told, and whose are left out, in the visual narratives that shape national identity. It asks us to consider the power and the politics of representation.