The Nadars, a photographic legend

The Nadars

fr

Charles Asselineau (1820-1874)

Félix Nadar, between 1854 and 1870

Albumen print from a collodion glass negative, 23.8 x 18.1 cm.
BnF, Prints and Photographs Department, EO-15 (1)-PET FOL
© Bibliothèque nationale de France
Charles Asselineau was one of Nadar's oldest friends. They had become close as young teens, at the Collège Bourbon, and were both part of Baudelaire's inner circle. Exceedingly well-read, Charles Asselineau, a supernumerary librarian at the Mazarine, the author, most notably, of Paradis des gens de lettres (Authors' Paradise)and of a href="https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5494888s" target="_blank">L'Enfer du Bibliophile (The Bibliophile's Inferno), was close to the publisher Poulet-Malassis, who Baudelaire nicknamed "Poorly Perched Coco."
He and Nadar co-authored two short stories published in April and August 1846, respectively: "Death Cured" and "Paradise Found," which were later included in
Quand j'étais étudiant (When I Was A Student). He belonged to the select group of publishers who did research for Nadar's Pantheon, which was originally meant to have an annex with a thumbnail biography of each person portrayed.
He was the best man at Nadar's wedding... although he didn't find that out until two weeks after the fact. The groom explained in a letter, "It's rather amusing that my best man only found out about my wedding two weeks after it was consummated, and via the invitation. I will explain all, dear friend, the next time we meet. For the moment, suffice to say that that I went to your home the day before, a Sunday, and that on the Monday morning, with the ceremony scheduled for noon, I didn't know at 11 A.M. if I woud be going through with it." (NAF 25007, fol. 8).