Victor Hugo
Bertall & Cie.
French
1860s
A collodion silver print portrait of an older man made to record his presence and social bearing with the detailed tonal range 19th‑century photography provided.
What hits you first is the intense, weathered face framed by white hair and beard, a direct, slightly stern gaze, and the prominent, ringed hands pushed toward the viewer against a soft, dark studio backdrop.
As a mid‑19th‑century studio photograph, it shows how the collodion process enabled photographers to create highly detailed, dignified images that shaped public memory of important figures and expanded photography’s role between documentation and art.
Medium
Collodion silver print
Dimensions
9 1/4 × 7 1/2" (23.5 × 19.0 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Purchase
Accession
28.1964
Palette
Exhibitions
