Le Stryge 1893

Joseph Pennell made this etching, titled "Le Stryge," in the late 19th or early 20th century. It depicts the gargoyle of Notre Dame Cathedral looking out over the city of Paris. The gargoyle, or "stryge," a demonic figure from folklore, is a potent symbol. While Pennell was an American artist, this image speaks to France's cultural anxieties at the turn of the century. After the Franco-Prussian War, the country faced modernization and secularization that threatened traditional values. Pennell’s stryge embodies a cultural and institutional struggle. Is it a relic of a superstitious past, gazing skeptically at the modern city? Or is it a timeless guardian, perched above the transient structures of human society? Historians can consult period literature, political cartoons, and architectural records to understand the cultural anxieties reflected in Pennell's image. Ultimately, this print reminds us that art is never created in a vacuum. It's always in dialogue with the social, political, and institutional forces of its time.