Bois de Boulogne, Man Reading by Pines
Artist
Charles Marville
(French, 1816-1879)
Date1858-1860
MediumAlbumen print from wet collodion negative on original mount
Dimensions10 3/8 × 13 11/16 in. (26.4 × 34.8 cm)
ClassificationsPhotography
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 number2014.18.4
Label TextCharles Marville
French, 1816–1879
Bois de Boulogne, Man Reading by Pines, 1858–60
Bois de Boulogne, Reflecting Pond, 1858–60
Bois de Boulogne, Pond and Boat, 1858–60
Albumen prints (photographs) from wet collodion negatives, on original mounts
In this series of photographs, Charles Marville represents a large suburban park, the Bois de Boulogne, as a place of repose and contemplation for middle- and upper-class Parisians. The City of Paris acquired the land in 1852, and the Emperor Napoleon III authorized its transformation from a royal garden to a public park. Under the direction of French engineers, the park’s long, straight axes were radically redesigned in a picturesque English style with meandering paths, rolling hills, and extensive water elements like artificial ponds and rerouted streams. Government officials commissioned Marville’s series upon completing the renovations, then heralded as a technical triumph. While the carefully composed images focus on the park’s newest features, the soft tones and still water in Marville’s images give the impression of an unaffected and timeless landscape.
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 2014.18.4–.6
