Asile impériale de Vincennes, vue de Charenton
1858–59
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 7 1/16 × 6 1/2 in. (17.9 × 16.5 cm)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.817
Art Historical Context
**Asile impériale Vincennes, vue de Char** (1858–59) a serene yet poignant landscape by pioneering French photographer Charles Nègre From the vantage of Charenton, it depicts the Imperial Asylum of Vincennes, a grand Second Empire institution near Paris built during Napoleon III's reign. This view reflects mid-19th-century France's blend of architectural ambition and social reform, as asylums like this symbolized progressive care for the mentally ill amid rapid urbanization. Printed as an albumen silver print from a glass negative, the work showcases Nègre's mastery of early photographic tech...
About the Artist
Charles Nègre · 1820–1880
Charles Nègre (1820–1880) was a French painter and photographer who became one of the most innovative practitioners of early photography. Born in Grasse in the south of France, he trained as a painter in Paris under Paul Delaroche, Michel Martin Drolling, and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres at the École des Beaux-Arts. He initially took up the calotype and later the collodion process as aids to his ...