Cathedral of Nôtre Dame, Amiens
about 1852
The five architectural photographers chosen by the French government for the mission héliographique to record ancient and medieval monuments suffering from centuries of damage and neglect, worked from a massive inventory drawn up by antiquarians and architects. Le Secq was assigned Champagne, Alsace and Lorraine, followed by Strasbourg, Amiens, Rheims and Chartres. Le Secq made a detailed and loving study of Amiens Cathedral, more than forty-five large-scale prints, which involved circling the building at different levels and photographing it from different angles.
