Viaduct on the Saône
Camille Bernabé
French, born 1808?
May 1, 1854
A mid‑19th‑century salted paper print made from a glass negative that records the Viaduct on the Saône, created to document the bridge and its construction while testing photography’s ability to capture architectural detail.
The image strikes you with its calm, mirrorlike river and soft sepia tones that make the iron and stone arches read with quiet, almost forensic clarity against a vast, empty sky.
An example of early photographic practice that used glass negatives and salted‑paper prints to turn photography into a practical tool for recording urban change and engineering works, helping to shift the medium from novelty to documentary evidence.
Medium
Salted paper print from a glass negative
Dimensions
7 × 9 7/8" (17.7 × 25.0 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Acquired through the generosity of Arthur Bullowa
Accession
335.1981
Palette
Exhibitions
