Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2014.

Untitled (Bois de Boulogne), from Album du Bois de Boulogne

Artist Charles Marville (Charles François Bossu) (French, 1816-1879)

CultureFrench

Date1858-1860

MediumAlbumen print from wet collodion negative on original mount

Dimensionsimage: 7 × 13 7/8 in. (17.8 × 35.2 cm)
Overall, Support: 17 1/8 × 23 1/8 in. (43.5 × 58.7 cm)
Overall, Mat: 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm)
Overall, Frame (estimated): 21 1/4 × 25 5/8 × 1 1/4 in. (54 × 65.1 × 3.2 cm)

PortfolioThe Bois de Boulogne, 1858-1860

Credit LineMuseum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank and with funds provided by Michael Bakwin, Leah and Richard Waitzer, Stephan H. and Marynell Gordon, Randy and Lelia Graham Webb, Dr. and Mrs. Robert M. Rubin, Tom and Selina Stokes, Dixie and Henry Wolf, Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus W. Grandy V, and Norfolk Southern Foundation

Object number2014.18.1

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 228

Label TextCharles Marville [Charles-François Bossu] French, 1813–1879 Untitled (Bois de Boulogne) 1858, from the Album du Bois de Boulogne, 1858 Albumen print from collodion negative One of the emperor’s improvement projects was to transform the former royal hunting grounds, the Bois de Boulogne, into a public park. In the 1850s, municipal engineer Adolphe Alphand designed a network of water systems, carriage roads, and footpaths in a vast expanse of grassy and wooded areas. Although it appears to be an idyllic retreat from urban life, the park was well integrated into the city, attracting prostitutes and promenaders, petty criminals and pensioners alike. One journalist observed, “except for the earth and trees, all is artificial at the Bois de Boulogne.” Museum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank and with funds provided by Michael Bakwin, Leah and Richard Waitzer, Stephan H. and Marynell Gordon, Randy and Lelia Graham Webb, Dr. and Mrs. Robert M. Rubin, Tom and Selina Stokes, Dixie and Henry Wolf, Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus W. Grandy V, and Norfolk Southern Foundation 2014.18.1 ProvenancePurchased from Charles Isaacs Photographs, Inc., New York, NY, by Chrysler Museum of Art, December 2014.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.