19th Century French Photographers: Nadar

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19th Century French Photographers: Nadar
This is the latest in a series of photo essays on early French photographers Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, who took the name Nadar, was one of the first portrait photographers. In the 1850s, he made extraordinarily fine studio portraits of his friends. Lucky for us, many of these friends were among the most famous romantic figures of 19th century France, among them Baudelaire, Sarah Bernhardt, and Gérard de Nerval. Nadar put the full impact of his personality to work in service of his portraits. He engaged his subjects in intimate and lively conversation while posing them in his studio. This approach produced extemporaneous, collaborative portraits of unsurpassed intimacy. No other early 19th century portraits came even close. Nadar knew exactly what he was doing and what he wanted to accomplish: “ psychological side of photography.” (1856) Nadar’s portraits are instantly recognizable for their style: solid black backgrounds, bust or half-length poses, concentration on the face, naturalistic posture, often no direct eye contact. His style captured the life and personality of the sitter, allowing us to feel his presence intensely. Once experienced, a Nadar portrait and its subject are never to be forgotten. Nadar’s wife. Photo credit: Nadar Charles Baudelaire. Photo credit: Nadar Photo credit © Fern L. Nesson Photo credit © Fern L. Nesson
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Lead photo credit : Sarah Bernhardt. Photo credit: Nadar

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Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fern Nesson is a fine art photographer with an MFA in photography. She visits Paris regularly where she captures interior scenes. Her work is abstract, and brings fresh perspective to lovers of Paris, while also illuminating interesting museum exhibitions and cultural events taking place in the City of Light. She recently published a book compilation of the popular Bonjour Paris series "50 Things I Miss About Paris." Purchase this beautiful, photography-filled book on Amazon or contact Fern directly by email: fernlnesson [at] gmail.com. She's offering a special deal for Bonjour Paris readers: purchase the book at cost, a $25 discount.