H. Berton

Edme Quenedey

1809

A small oval profile portrait of H. Berton executed as a physionotrace engraving in 1809, where the artist used a tracing device and delicate engraving to produce a precise likeness.

The sitter’s sharply modeled profile—curly hair, pronounced nose, and a high, starched cravat—appears to float against a dark, stippled oval, the fine dots and lines lending an intimate, almost tactile quietness to skin and cloth.

Part of the physionotrace tradition that bridged hand drawing and mechanical reproduction, this work reflects early nineteenth‑century efforts to standardize portrait making and anticipates photographic concerns with accurate likeness.

Palette

Exhibitions

French Photographs: Daguerre to Atget

1945

Before Photography: Painting and the Invention of Photography

1981

Roots of French Photography

1949

Photography 1839–1937

1937