Étude d’Après Nature: 19th Century Photographs in Relation to Art

By Ken Jacobson
With an essay by Anthony Hamber

Étude d’Après Nature studies the relationship between 19th century photography and the art world. It is the first work to look in depth at the group of photographers who specialised in artists’ studies in the 19th century. These photographers worked during the period in which Impressionism flourished.

Artists’ Studies

The largest section of the catalogue begins with an essay by Ken Jacobson. It includes work by Aubry, Braun, Cuvelier, Famin, Kotzsch, Giraudon, Chauffourier, Lake Price, Stuart Wortley, Quinet, Sherlock, Stillman and Sutcliffe. Some other notable inclusions are the following: stereoscopic photographs of some of Toulouse-Lautrec’s models from the Moulin Rouge; a photographic copy of a Thomas Moran painting by W.H. Jackson and Jackson’s original photograph which helped inspire the painting; and the Victorian painter, S.R. Percy’s 1850s studies of gypsy girls. There are original prints from the collections of various 19th century painters: the American Barbizon-style Long Island artist, Charles Henry Miller; the Paris-based Spaniard, José Maria Sert; and the French painter of theatrical backdrops, Amable Petit.

Works of Art

An essay by Anthony Hamber illuminates a rich history of photography of works of art. The inclusion in this section of photographs by such 19th century figures as Baldus, Fenton, Le Gray, Robert, Marville, and Evans demonstrates the importance placed on this branch of photographic art by some of the most notable early practitioners.

Portraits of Artists and their Circles

Among the featured images are uncut proof sheets showing multiple carte de visite portraits of painters from the Disdéri archive, unfamiliar and probably unpublished portraits of Meissonier, Degas, Millet and G.F. Watts, views of artists at work in their studios and outdoors and photographs taken in art schools.

Mixed Media

This section includes cliché-verre (Corot examples included), hand-coloured photography (including Japanese examples), composite photography and photomontage.

192 pages. Approx. 300 illustrations, most in duotone or colour. A valuable reference. More than 100 short biographies included. Book – $65 or £40. Please add £5. for shipping inside the UK and $15 or £10. for shipping worldwide.

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