The Portal of Saint Ursinus at Bourges, rue du Vieux Poirier

In the early years of photography, landscape studies, architectural views, and studio portraiture were the main focus of the new medium. A photograph such as The Portal of Saint Ursinus at Bourges of 1863 by the Bisson Frères (Bisson Brothers) reveals a widespread interest on the part of the French at that time in their nation's past and in the preservation of historical monuments. Using large-format cameras and glass-plate negatives, the Bissons captured their architectural subjects with exquisite sharpness of detail and purity of light.