The Courtyard of 21 Quai Bourbon, Paris
Charles Nègre
French, 1820–1880
1851
A mid‑19th‑century collotype by Charles Nègre that records a quiet Parisian courtyard, using the photographic process to translate everyday light, shadow, and texture with a painterly eye.
At first glance the scene is defined by a dramatic triangular shadow cutting across cobbles and walls and a solitary, top‑hatted man leaning in a doorway, which together turn an otherwise ordinary alley into a hushed, theatrical moment.
Made in 1851, the image is an early example of photography being used as an artistic medium—bridging documentary observation and painterly composition—and anticipates later pictorialist interests in mood, tonality, and the poetry of ordinary urban life.
Medium
Collotype
Dimensions
5 3/4 × 4 7/16" (14.6 × 11.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Courtesy of André Jammes
Accession
1212.1964
Palette
Exhibitions
