Bibliotheek van de abdij van Sainte-Geneviève te Parijs 1689

Franz Ertinger created this print of the Library of the Abbey of Sainte-Geneviève in Paris, likely in the late 17th century. Libraries in this period were more than just repositories of knowledge, they were statements of power, designed to impress with their scale and grandeur. Consider how the architecture reinforces a very specific social order. The busts of great thinkers, all men, line the walls, a constant reminder of whose voices and ideas were considered important. The two figures in the foreground, possibly scholars, are also likely men, underscoring the limited access to knowledge and intellectual life for women at this time. Ertinger's print invites us to reflect on the politics of knowledge. Who gets to write history? Whose stories are told and preserved? And how do these choices shape our understanding of the world? This image is not just a depiction of a library, but a window into the power structures of its time.