The Nadars, a photographic legend

The Nadars

fr

Gérard de Nerval

Adrien Tournachon, 1855

Salt-paper print with a protective coating, from a collodion glass negative, 26.6 x 19 cm.
BnF, Prints and Photographs Department, EO-99 (1)-PET FOL
© Bibliothèque nationale de France
An old friend of Félix Nadar's, Gérard de Nerval posed for Adrien Tournachon's camera at a time when he was still working with his brother. The gentle kindness in the poet's face is poignant, especially since the portrait was taken just a few days before he committed suicide.