Photographers

Nadar (1820–1910), the pseudonym of Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, was a colossal figure in 19th-century France and is universally recognized as one of the greatest portrait photographers in history. Transitioning from medicine to bohemian journalism and satirical caricature, he opened his first iconic Paris photography studio in 1854. Nadar revolutionized the young medium by utterly rejecting the stiff, artificial poses and elaborate commercial props common to Victorian portraiture. Instead, using dramatic side-lighting, plain dark backdrops, and larger glass-plate negatives, he focused entirely on capturing the psychological depth, raw character, and “speaking likeness” of his sitters. His studio became the ultimate intellectual hub of Paris, producing definitive, historic portraits of cultural titans like Charles Baudelaire, Victor Hugo, George Sand, and Eugène Delacroix. In 1874, he cemented his legacy in art history by lending his studio to host the First Impressionist Exhibition when the artists were rejected by the official Paris Salon. His foundational prints are preserved in the permanent master collections of world institutions, including the Musée d’Orsay, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).