Gezicht op het trappenhuis van de Frans I vleugel van het Kasteel van Blois before 1875

Médéric Mieusement made this photograph of the staircase of the François I wing of the Château de Blois. Mieusement worked during a time of great transformation in France and across Europe, as industrialization and urbanization reshaped societies and social structures. Photographs like these captured historical monuments, reinforcing national identity and shared cultural heritage, but who gets to claim this heritage? The Château de Blois, with its ornate carvings and grand scale, speaks to the opulence of the French monarchy and the power dynamics of the ruling class. The architecture and sculpture immortalized in this photograph served as symbols of authority and wealth, but they also mask the labor and resources extracted from countless individuals. This image invites reflection on the narratives that are told and those that are often left untold.