The first half of the 19th century, specifically in Paris, presented a monumental shift in the manner through which individuals interacted with the urban setting. Governmental projects (though not yet the Haussmannization that would be implemented in the 1860s and beyond), challenged the forms and functions of various structures in the city. Their reconstruction, combined with a new institutional backing, created a new set of relations between the public and a more functional, “modern” city.
Under the rule of Napoleon I, during the First French Empire (1804-1814), the state became heavily involved in the role of the city in the life of the individual. Administrative buildings, and bureaucracy could be seen as a restructuring force which challenged the prevailing chaos of the city during the time of the French Revolution. As a means of solidifying authority and representing the power of empire, Paris as a capitol underwent significant modernizing efforts which had vast repercussions on its citizens during the course of the 19th century.
One of the most interesting cases of state intervention in life, was ironically the role of the state in restructuring the means of dealing with death. In the examples and photographs that follow, I hope to explore the changes undergone by two institutions typically linked with the afterlife in Paris — the morgue, and the cemetery (specifically Pere Lachaise). Whereas before the governmental restructuring of these two elements of Parisian life, they had always carried an air of disorder and had kept them removed from daily life – their later incorporation into city life, as a function of the city itself, reshaped the manner in which the public viewed and interacted with death. Instead of being something sidelined within the city environment, the clear demarcation of death, brought about a new visual culture surrounding the dressings of death, and clearly influenced the popular imagination and perceptions of the time.
Digital Project: The Morgue
Digital Project: Pere Lachaise
April 23, 2009, 11:58am
