Vantail de la porte Saint Marcel, Notre Dame, Paris

The Bisson frères were among the most prominent French photographers of their day. Active in photography since the 1840s, the firm excelled at large-scale photographs of architecture and sculpture. In this detail of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, the Bissons showcase the genius of medieval ironwork and sculpture. The flat composition, reminiscent of an ornamental engraving, uses a deep zone of shadow to divide, and thus highlight, the intricate wrought-iron arabesques decorating the door and the elongated figure of Saint Marcel adorning the trumeau.