The Nadars, a photographic legend

The Nadars

fr

Ernestine Nadar draped in dark velvet, bringing a nosegay of violets to her face

Félix et Paul Nadar, around 1890-1894

Albumen print from a silver gelatin negative, 22.5 × 16.6 cm.
BnF, Prints and Photographs Department, EO-15 (11)-PET FOL
© Bibliothèque nationale de France
This picture comes from a moving photo shoot done in Sénart. In this series of prints, Ernestine, despite her old age and illness, is transfigured by the affection of her husband and son. The dark velvet cloth, a common accessory in Félix Nadar's portraits of women, betrays these portraits' aesthetic ambitions.