The Nadars, a photographic legend

The Nadars

fr

Negative of Victor Hugo on his deathbed in his room

Félix et Paul Nadar, may 1885

Silver gelatin glass negative
Architecture and Cultural Heritage Multimedia Library
© Ministère de la Culture (France), Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine / dist. RMN-Grand Palais
The Nadar family's admiration for Victor Hugo - the man, the writer, and the exiled anti-monarchist - was boundless. So the fact that Félix and Paul were called to rush to his deathbed to take the great man's final portrait was perfectly natural.