Vergaderzaal van het parlementsgebouw te Québec before 1894

Jules-Ernest Livernois captured the Vergaderzaal van het parlementsgebouw te Québec in a photograph. The image’s play of light and shadow across the architectural forms creates a striking composition. The symmetry is immediately apparent; the room is organized around a central axis leading to a raised platform, flanked by rows of seating on either side. The use of monochrome flattens the image, emphasizing the lines and geometric shapes inherent in the room's design. The photograph’s perspective draws the eye toward the back, where the suggestion of a dark space beyond the platform could be seen as an invitation—or perhaps a challenge—to the viewer. It invites us to consider how spaces can be used to structure power, and how these structures are visually reinforced. The interplay of light and shadow transforms the physical space into a landscape of symbolic meanings. This photograph captures not just a room, but a spatial embodiment of the structure and mechanics of governance.