By the time that Médéric Mieusement (1840-1905) approached the Minister of Education with a project to photograph France’s historical monuments, he already had a considerable experience photographing architecture. He made his debut in 1859 at the age of 19, photographing the Château de Blois with the architect Felix Duban. Although his 1872 proposal was rejected, two years later, the Commission des Monuments Historiques purchased a selection of his photographs from a catalogue he sent them. In the following years, the Commission called upon Mieusement to photograph monuments under restoration. In 1881, Mieusement was hired by the Direction des Cultes to photograph the country’s cathedrals.
Read the full article on the French version of Le Journal.
