Gustave Le Gray

albumen print, the photographer's red facsimile signature stamp in the lower right corner of the image, mounted, numbered '19,011' and 'no. 134' in ink and with papermaker Ernest Binant's monogram blindstamp on the mount, circa 1859

Jean-Marc Delvaux, Paris, 1999-2000

Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Gustave Le Gray, Photographe (1820-1884), March - June 2002

Sylvie Aubenas, Gustave Le Gray 1820-1884 (The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2002), fig. 318, cat. 183 (this print)

Eugenia Parry Janis, The Photography of Gustave Le Gray (Chicago, 1987), pl. 33

Richard Pare, Photography and Architecture, 1839-1939 (Canadian Centre for Architecture, 1982), pl. 13

Grading this albumen print on a scale of 1 to 10 – a 10 being a print that has rich, deep dark tones and highlights that retain all of their original detail – this print rates a very strong 10. This photograph has clean, creamy highlights, and saturated eggplant tones that nearly approach black in the darkest areas. The swaying boats, bridge and railings, and the city's architecture on the horizon are all rendered with great clarity. Wispy clouds and the water's reflection are captured in this impressive print. In high raking light and upon very close examination, the following are visible: occasional tiny deposits, likely original retouching that has darkened with age; a few superficial scuffs and long scratches; and minor soiling in the sky area. There is a concentration of tiny faintly-darkened areas of foxing along the edge in the upper left corner. There is minor chipping along the left edge. The large mount is age-darkened and soiled from handling. There is heavy foxing in the left portion of the mount, as well as long, linear droplets. A thin border of graphite offsetting from the mat is visible on the mount at the periphery of the image. The Ernest Binant 'EB' blindstamp is in the upper right mount corner. There is some foxing and light soiling on the reverse of the mount.
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