George Sand

Public Domain

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Artist Nadar (Gaspard Félix Tournachon)(French, 1820–1910)French, 1820–1910

CultureFrench

Titles

George Sand

Date1864

MediumWoodburytype

DimensionsImage: 9 1/16 × 6 11/16 in. (23 × 17 cm)
Sheet: 9 1/16 × 6 11/16 in. (23 × 17 cm)
Mount: 13 9/16 × 10 1/16 in. (34.5 × 25.5 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Dr. and Mrs. George Ehni

Object number84.302

Current Location

The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building

Gallery 208

On view

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Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionBeyond his prowess at self-promotion, Nadar’s true brilliance lay in his ability to capture the psychological state of his subjects. Eschewing studio props and gimmicks, Nadar focused solely on the person, set against a neutral background. Photographing his friends and kindred spirits—fellow artists, literary figures, left-wing politicians, and intellectuals—Nadar captured the natural qualities of his subjects, what he described as “the resemblance that is most familiar and most favorable, the intimate resemblance.” In this portrait made toward the end of Sand’s life when the two became close friends, Nadar expresses the strength and dignity of the famous author.
Provenance[Janet Lehr, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 1984.
Exhibition History"The 150th Anniversary of the Invention of Photography: Prague 1989," Manes Center of the Union of Czechoslovak Creative Artists, Prague, August 1–September 30, 1989.

"Past/Present: Photography from the Permanent Collection of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 8, 1991–February 9, 1992.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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