Charles Marville, Place de l'Étoile, ca. 1877

Although Charles Marville began his photography career concentrating on religious sites and architecture, his attention soon turned to civic subjects, such as this monumental public space extending out from the Arc de Triomphe. When creating this image, Marville's intent was not to simply document a specific place or structure, but to illustrate the national glorification of France. On the left side of the image, relief sculptures looking over the vast space around the arch celebrate Napoléon Bonaparte's victorious military campaigns.

Charles Marville (born Charles François Bossu; 13 March 1813 – 19 October 1879) - French photographer born in Paris was appointed as the official photographer of the city of Paris in the early 1860s. He was one of the first photographers to use albumen printing process, which produced highly detailed and tonally rich prints. He also experimented with salt prints, cyanotype, and platinum prints, 19th-century architecture, and urban landscapes.