[Rooftops, Paris] 1843

Armand-Hippolyte-Louis Fizeau created this photograph, "Rooftops, Paris", using the daguerreotype process, one of the earliest forms of photography. Think about Paris in the mid-19th century, a city undergoing massive transformations with industrialization and urbanization rapidly changing its landscape and social fabric. Fizeau, a scientist by training, captures a seemingly mundane scene: rooftops. But look closer, can you sense the shifting dynamics of Parisian society? The rooftops become a stage upon which narratives of class, labor, and urban life are subtly played out. Consider the perspective; it invites us to contemplate the lives of those inhabiting these spaces. In his focus of the architecture of Paris, Fizeau captured a piece of the identity of its people. What does it mean to look into these roofs and imagine life in this time period? What secrets might these rooftops hold?