Gipsmodellen voor beeldhouwwerken op het Palais du Louvre: links "Joinville" door Jean-Esprit Marcellin en rechts "Fléchier" door François Gaspard Aimé Lanno c. 1855 - 1857

This photograph by Edouard Baldus shows plaster models for sculptures on the Palais du Louvre. It highlights the intersection of art, power, and historical memory in 19th-century France. Baldus documented the creation of these sculptures. They represent historical figures, which were commissioned as part of a broader effort to celebrate French identity and solidify national pride in the wake of political upheaval. The choice of figures and their placement on the Louvre, a former royal palace turned public museum, reflect the values that the French monarchy wished to project. The photograph itself provides a valuable insight into the institutional practices of art production. It reveals the role of photography in documenting and disseminating information about public art projects. Further research into the commissioning process, the selection of sculptors, and the political context would deepen our understanding of this image. Studying archival documents, such as government records and artists' correspondence, would shed light on the complex interplay between art, politics, and national identity in 19th-century France.