Interior Details and Candelabra, Théâtre du Vaudeville, Paris

One of the most accomplished architectural photographers of 19th-century France, Louis-Emile Durandelle was hired to document such buildings as the opulent Paris Opéra, the Bibliothèque Nationale, and (as shown here) the newly rebuilt Théâtre du Vaudeville. In a process lasting several years, he would photograph the construction process from the laying of foundations through completion, often revealing elements of the finished building not visible to the unaided eye: details of decorative features, for example, or hidden structural components. His images freed architects from drawing complex patterns and moldings by hand, kept clients abreast of construction progress, and formed a historical record of huge urban undertakings.

Architectural photographer Louis-Émile Durandelle documented some of the most prestigious construction projects of 19th-century Paris. His photographs often reveal elements of a completed building not apparent to the unaided eye: hidden structural components or details of decorative features. Here he isolated decorative elements intended for the Théâtre du Vaudeville’s interior in front of a makeshift backdrop. A glimpse of a vaulted roof in the background suggests that Durandelle worked on site, employing both studio equipment (the backdrop) and materials from the construction site itself (the wooden plank beneath the objects). More puzzling is the appearance of a wrinkled sheet of paper at the lower left, tucked beneath an ornate capital with apparent haste.