Island of Philae, view taken from the waterfall (Ile De Philae, Vue Prise Des Cataractes)
CultureFrench
Dateca. 1875-80
MediumAlbumen print from collodian negative
DimensionsOverall, Image: 8 1/2 × 10 3/4 in. (21.6 × 27.3 cm)
Overall, Support: 11 5/8 × 14 7/8 in. (29.5 × 37.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 20 1/8 × 24 1/8 in. (51.1 × 61.3 cm)
Overall, Frame (estimated): 21 1/4 × 25 5/8 × 1 1/4 in. (54 × 65.1 × 3.2 cm)
Overall, Support: 11 5/8 × 14 7/8 in. (29.5 × 37.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 20 1/8 × 24 1/8 in. (51.1 × 61.3 cm)
Overall, Frame (estimated): 21 1/4 × 25 5/8 × 1 1/4 in. (54 × 65.1 × 3.2 cm)
InscribedWritten in the lower right corner: No. 45 Il de Philae, vue des Cataractes
Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Charles T. Isaacs
Object number2001.31.2
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 228
Label TextÉmile Béchard French, 1844–1905 Island of Philae, View taken from the Cataracts, ca. 1875–80 Albumen print from collodion negative The identities of the Cairo-based commercial photographers who signed carte de visites as “H. Délié & E. Béchard” remain confused. The two men jointly published a photographic album in 1872, but only Émile was credited as the photographer in the book L’Égypte et la Nubie—Album monumental, historique, architectural (1887), which includes a reversed photomechanical reproduction of this print. Béchard’s expansive view overlooking the rocky rapids that dividedEgypt and Nubia has been highly retouched and flattened, so there is no sign of the moving water or granite rocks that made it impossible to sail further up the Nile. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Charles T. Isaacs 2001.31.2 ProvenanceDr. and Mrs. Charles Isaacs, Pennsylvania; Gift to the Chrysler Museum of Art, 2001. Exhibition History"New Frames of Reference: Early French Photographers at Home and Abroad," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va, gallery 228, September 5, 2024 - February 16, 2025.
Auguste Rosalie Bisson
1860
Louis Constantin Henri François Xavier de Clercq
1859-1861
