Imperial Library of the Louvre, Paris, 1850s
Entitled: "Imperial Library of the Louvre" photographed by Ìädouard Baldus, circa 1856-57. The grandest of Napoleon III's projects was the New Louvre, the construction of wings linking the Louvre and Tuileries Palaces and the clearing of existing buildings in what would become the huge courtyard of the imperial residences. Fulfilling the decades, long dream of various French sovereigns, the New Louvre of Napoleon III sought in a literal way to tie the Second Empire to the noble legacy of Catherine de Medici and Louis XIV. Baldus, the best architectural photographer of the day, was commissioned to make a visual record of the construction, beginning in 1854. Beyond admirably fulfilling their documentary function, works such as this one are among his most carefully crafted and clearly articulated demonstrations of photography's unparalleled capacity to render the play of light and volume and to record the most intricate details, unmediated by picturesque convention or personal style of draftsmanship. The facade shown nearing completion in this photograph faces the rue de Rivoli, opposite the Palais Royal, and is now an entrance to the Louvre museum. The passageway through the principal arch leads to the glass pyramid designed by I. M. Pei.
Size: 3263px × 4200px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, 1850, 1850s, 19th, architectural, architecture, baldus, building, bw, century, city, de, design, edouard, europe, famous, france, historic, historical, history, imperial, important, landmark, library, light, louvre, monument, museum, notable, paris, parisian, parisien, parisienne, photo, photograph, rivoli, rue, Ìädouard
