Black Horseman in Front of a Doorway
Unknown Artist
c. 1855
Medium
salt print from wet collodion negative
Dimensions
image: 15.5 × 13.5 cm · matted: 50.8 × 40.6 cm
Classification
Photograph
Department
Photography
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1999.22
About this artwork
The genre of equestrian portraiture dates back to classical antiquity, but translating it to photography was tricky because of the long exposures required by the early processes. Some examples by Nadar evoke conventions of studio portraiture, such as employing a large painted backdrop to disguise the actual locations, which were probably outdoors. In this slightly earlier photograph, there is no such artifice.