Nadar
1820–1910 · France
Presence before setting.
Explore 9 works ↓
Nadar · March 1856
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Purchase, Marie-Thérèse and André Jammes and Annalee Newman Gifts, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift through Joyce and Robert Menschel, and Nancy and Edwin Marks Gift, 1993
CC0 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Reuse conditions · Artwork record
The story
Working as Nadar, Félix Tournachon moved from caricature and journalism to photographic portraiture. His studio welcomed writers, actors and prominent figures of his time. He also experimented with aerial photography and artificial lighting beneath the streets of Paris. His activities extended beyond the studio, but his portraits remain a particularly revealing starting point: attention centres on attitude and expression rather than an accumulation of props.
Understanding the work
Observe the simple background, the angle of the face and the hands. A relationship with the sitter can emerge through a slight imbalance or a reserved gaze.
Key works and series
Portraits of Baudelaire, Sarah Bernhardt and contemporaries; underground photographs.
Sources & further exploration
A journey through images.
9 worksClick an image to enlarge it. Captions, collections and reuse conditions appear below each work. Captions describe the photographs; the source records retain catalogue titles and provide context.
Nadar · March 1856
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Purchase, Marie-Thérèse and André Jammes and Annalee Newman Gifts, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift through Joyce and Robert Menschel, and Nancy and Edwin Marks Gift, 1993
CC0 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Reuse conditions · Artwork record
Nadar · 1855–59
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Purchase, The Howard Gilman Foundation Gift and Rogers Fund, 1991
CC0 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Reuse conditions · Artwork record
Nadar · 1855–60
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Gift of Marie-Thérèse and André Jammes, in memory of Samuel J. Wagstaff Jr., 1991
CC0 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Reuse conditions · Artwork record
Nadar · 1856–58, printed ca. 1900
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Gift of M. Knoedler & Co. Inc., 1958
CC0 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Reuse conditions · Artwork record
Nadar and Adrien Tournachon · 1855
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1998
CC0 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Reuse conditions · Artwork record
![[Seated Model, Partially Draped] — Nadar](/assets/atlasimg-nadar-04.jpg)
Nadar · 1856–59
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Gilman Collection, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2005
CC0 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Reuse conditions · Artwork record
Nadar and Adrien Tournachon · 1854–55
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Gilman Collection, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2005
CC0 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Reuse conditions · Artwork record
![[Self-Portrait in Costume] — Nadar](/assets/atlasimg-nadar-07.jpg)
Nadar · 1862–64
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Gilman Collection, Purchase, Harriette and Noel Levine Gift, 2005
CC0 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Reuse conditions · Artwork record
Nadar · ca. 1856
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Gilman Collection, Purchase, Harriette and Noel Levine Gift, 2005
CC0 — The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Reuse conditions · Artwork record
Works in collections.
10 recordsPhotographs to explore on museum and library websites, with titles, dates and processes. Each link opens the collection record and its image where one is available.
- MoMA · 1854-55
Pierrot Surprised
Albumen silver print
Adrien Tournachon · Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon)
