Panorama van het Nieuwe Louvre: Tuilerieën, cour Napoléon en Carrousel c. 1857

This is Edouard Baldus's "Panorama van het Nieuwe Louvre: Tuilerieën, cour Napoléon en Carrousel", a photograph capturing the ambitious architectural projects of mid-19th century Paris. Baldus, working in a time of great social and political change, documented the transformation of Paris under Napoleon III. Photography in this era was often used to assert power and project an image of progress and control. Baldus, as a chronicler of this transformation, walks a tightrope. Here we see a moment in which new technologies and state power came together. The result is both a reflection of, and a participant in, the construction of national identity. How does one represent a nation? What parts get emphasized and what parts are erased? Through his lens, Baldus invites us to reflect on the complex relationship between art, politics, and identity in a rapidly changing world. The emotional weight of this image rests in its capacity to remind us of both the grandeur and the potential erasure inherent in the pursuit of progress.