The Ascent of Mont Blanc
Auguste-Rosalie Bisson
French, 1826–1900
Louis-Auguste Bisson
French, 1814–1876
1860
A large 1860 albumen silver print in which Bisson aimed to record the monumental presence of Mont Blanc and its glacier, translating the drama of alpine ascent into a composed photographic image.
A stark diagonal of dark ridge slices across luminous snowfields and a textured glacier tongue that draws the eye up to the soft, sunlit dome of the summit set against a pale sky.
As an early example of mountain photography, it shows how mid‑19th‑century photographic techniques could render topographical detail and helped shape public interest in alpine exploration and scientific documentation.
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
10 3/4 × 17 3/8" (27.3 × 44.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Purchase
Accession
150.1964
Palette
Exhibitions
