‘Decadence’: Shooting the Court of Marie Antoinette with a 50-Year-Old 8×10 Camera

For his latest project “Decadence,” photographer Tyler Shields staged scenes that reimagine the court of Marie Antoinette in the late 1600s. Shields mainly used a 50-year-old 8×10 camera, as well as various Hasselblad cameras.

“After their marriage, Louis XVI entrusted Marie with the task of entertaining the court,” Shields writes. “Decadence is set in Tuileries Palace in 1667 and The Palace of Versailles 1672.”

“I wanted to give my version of an inside look into what I imagine it would be like if you were able to take a photograph of The Court of The Palace of Versailles and Tuileries Palace an intimate look inside one of the most fascinating times in history.”

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how the project was done (note: there’s a bit of blurred nudity):

Here are some more 8×10 photos from the project:

The project will be exhibited at the Maddox Gallery in London on February 4th, 2016. You can also find this series and Shields’ other work on his website.

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Image creditsPhotographs by Tyler Shields and used with permission