Man with High Hat
Charles Nègre
French, 1820–1880
1851
A collotype print of a seated man in a tall top hat, in which Nègre aims to record an unposed, quietly observant moment of urban life.
You are struck by the bold, dark silhouette and crisp profile set against a luminous, grainy background, where flattened tones and textured surfaces create a hushed, meditative stillness.
Made in 1851, this early photograph helped push the medium from formal studio portraiture toward candid, documentary views and shows how collotype printing could achieve painterly tonal subtleties that influenced later art and documentary photography.
Medium
Collotype
Dimensions
5 11/16 × 4 9/16" (14.4 × 11.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of André Jammes
Accession
479.1964
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
