Nude Study
c. 1855
Medium
albumen print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 22.2 × 16.2 cm (8 3/4 × 6 3/8 in.) mount: 37.5 × 29.8 cm (14 3/4 × 11 3/4 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Robert Menschel and the Vital Projects Fund
Accession Number
2020.30.1
Art Historical Context
**Nude Study**, a captivating albumen print by French photographer Auguste Belloc around 1855, exemplifies the bold experimentation of early photography. Belloc, active in Paris during photography's formative years, specialized in intimate portraits and figure studies, capturing the human form with unprecedented realism. This 22.2 × 16.2 cm image, mounted on a larger 37.5 × 29.8 cm sheet, showcases the nude model's graceful pose, rendered in the soft, luminous tones typical of the albumen process—photography's first widespread commercial method, introduced in 1850. The albumen print's signifi...