Gezicht op 21 rue Valette aan de resten van het oude college 1906 - 1911

Henri Manesse’s etching captures the atmosphere of 21 rue Valette and what remains of the old college. Manesse was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period of rapid social and urban change in Paris. The print invites us to consider how the architecture of a place can embody collective memory and history. The buildings depicted carry echoes of a bygone era, standing in contrast to the evolving cityscape around them. The narrow street seems to represent the constraints and limitations imposed by societal structures. The looming buildings evoke feelings of confinement and perhaps a sense of being caught between the past and the present. Manesse’s choice of subject matter highlights the importance of preserving cultural heritage amidst modernization. He prompts us to contemplate the tension between progress and tradition, and how we negotiate our relationship with the spaces we inhabit. In its focus on overlooked corners of the city, this etching also subtly challenges dominant narratives of Parisian grandeur.