Fountain, Place du Château d’Eau, Paris 1841 - 1842

Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey made this daguerreotype of the Fountain in the Place du Château d’Eau, Paris, using an early photographic process. Taken sometime in the 1840s or 50s, the photograph captures a moment of urban life in Paris, a city undergoing rapid transformation and modernization at this time. Public fountains like this one were not only decorative, but also served a practical purpose, providing water for citizens. It is interesting to think about the role of photography in documenting these changes and how that may have affected painting. In many ways, it supplanted painting as the method of record. Photography democratized image-making, creating new visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. To understand this work, art historians might consult city archives, historical maps, and social surveys to understand the social conditions that shaped artistic production and the public role of art. Art history allows us to reflect on the meaning of art as something that is contingent on the social and institutional context.