House in Pau
1854
Medium
salted paper print from a paper negative
Dimensions
image: 24.4 × 34.4 cm · matted: 50.8 × 61 cm
Classification
Photograph
Department
Photography
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Whitehill Art Purchase Endowment Fund
Accession Number
2001.4
Tags
About this artwork
This large, richly toned print is an exceptional example of the artistic and technical abilities of an early amateur photographer, possibly French in nationality, known only as W.H.G. In 1854 this mysterious photographer worked for a limited time in Pau and the surrounding regions of the Pyrenees. Most of his or her 24 known compositions are architectural details or buildings sited in the landscape. In this example, instead of a traditional frontal view, the massive shape of the stately townhous...
About the Artist
W.H.G. (French)
Georges Hugnet (1906–1974) was a multifaceted French artist, poet, writer, and critic whose innovative collages and graphic works bridged Dada and Surrealism. Born in Paris on July 11, 1906, he spent much of his early childhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, returning to France around 1913. His early life and artistic training remain sparsely documented, with no records of formal art school attendanc...