[Seated Woman Holding a Child]

Félix Devisuzanne

ca. 1845 · Daguerreotype · Photographs

This charming portrait epitomizes the work of the French photographer Félix Devisuzanne, who was praised for his ability to capture sitters’ natural expressions rather than the grimaces often seen in early photographs. Wherever the itinerant daguerreotypist went, local French press lauded the promptness of his process. In Toulouse, for example, his “pretty portraits” were noted not only for their fine features, but also for the tactility of their subjects’ apparel: “nothing compares to the softness of clothes whose silky reflections equal those of the newest and brightest fabrics.” Beginning in 1842, Devisuzanne travelled between Normandy and the Mediterranean before finally settling in Toulon in 1847; he operated a portrait studio there through at least 1859.

Artist

Félix Devisuzanne

Date

ca. 1845

Medium

Daguerreotype

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Gift of Denis Canguilhem, in honor of Pierre Apraxine, and in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary, 2019