Claude Bernard
c. 1876
Medium
Woodburytype, from the periodical “Galerie Contemporaine Littéraire, Artistique” (1877), volume 4
Dimensions
Image/paper: 23 × 18.3 cm (9 1/16 × 7 1/4 in.); Mount: 34.1 × 26 cm (13 7/16 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
woodburytype
Department
Photography and Media
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
143583
Art Historical Context
This woodburytype portrait, titled *Claude Bernard* and created around 1876 by the photographer Valery, appeared in the 1877 volume of the French periodical *Galerie Contemporaine Littéraire, Artistique*. The image measures 23 by 18.3 centimeters and was mounted for publication, reflecting the era’s growing interest in disseminating likenesses of notable contemporaries through print media. Woodburytype, the medium used here, was a leading photomechanical process in the late nineteenth century. It produced rich, continuous-tone images by pressing a gelatin relief into a lead plate and transfer...