The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Notre Dame de Paris

early 1860s

Charles Soulier

(French, 1840–1875)
France, 19th century
albumen print from glass negative
Image: 38 x 30.6 cm (14 15/16 x 12 1/16 in.); Matted: 71.1 x 61 cm (28 x 24 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1989.56
Location: Not on view

Description

A successful commercial photographer, Soulier operated in partnerships initially with A. Clouzard and then with Claude-Marie Ferrier and his son, A. Ferrier. Soulier was admired for his naturalistic architectural and urban views of Paris. In this imposing frontal view of the front façade of Notre Dame, his skill at rendering great architectural monuments and placing them into the context of their urban environment is beautifully realized. Photographed in bright sunlight, the warmly toned photograph is filled with visual, textural, and incidental information. This engaging mid-century photograph is an early record of the cathedral’s surrounding neighborhood, bustling with human activity.
  • E. H. T. “The Year in Review: Selections 1989.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 77, no. 2 (February 1990): 38–78. Reproduced: p. 61; Mentioned: p. 69, no. 57 www.jstor.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced: P. 327
  • Drawn with Light: Pioneering French Photography from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 26-June 16, 2005).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; February 26 - June 16, 2005 . "Drawn with Light: Pioneering French Photography from the Cleveland Museum of Art".
    Industry and Photography: Selections from the Permanent Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1997-March 1, 1998).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; 11/16/97 - 3/1/98. "Industry and Photography: Selections from the Permanent Collection."
    The Year in Review for 1989. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 6-April 15, 1990).
    CMA, Feb. 6 - April 15, 1990: "Year in Review 1989," CMA Bulletin, 77 (Feb. 1990), p. 69, no. 57, repr. p. 61.
  • {{cite web|title=Notre Dame de Paris|url=false|author=Charles Soulier|year=early 1860s|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1989.56