Feestzaal in het stadhuis van Parijs c. 1860 - 1880

This is a photograph by Ernest Eléonor Pierre Lamy, titled "Feestzaal in het stadhuis van Parijs," or "Festive Hall in the City Hall of Paris." The image presents a grand interior, likely of the Hôtel de Ville, a site of civic administration and public celebration. The photograph's visual codes reflect the values of 19th-century French society, emphasizing order, grandeur, and the power of the state. The architecture suggests the ambition of Paris as a global capital during a period of significant social and political change. The image possibly reflects the cultural and political landscape of the Second Empire or the early Third Republic, periods marked by industrial growth, colonial expansion, and social reform. The construction of such halls was often politically charged, meant to reinforce a particular regime’s image. Historians turn to archives, period publications, and architectural records to better understand the artwork. The image's meaning is contingent on its role within the history of Parisian institutions and civic identity.