Artwork Page for Sky Study, Paris

Details / Information for Sky Study, Paris

Sky Study, Paris

1856–57

Charles Marville

(French, 1813–1879)
Culture
France, 19th century
Medium
albumen print from wet collodion negative
Measurements
Image: 15.3 x 21.4 cm (6 x 8 7/16 in.); Matted: 40.6 x 50.8 cm (16 x 20 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1988.191
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
230 Photography
Print
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Did You Know?

Thirty years before the construction of the Eiffel Tower, Charles Marville made a series of views of the skies over Paris, some from various rooftops and others from his apartment window.

Description

This view frames the city so that the dome of the chapel of Les Invalides—a retirement home and hospital for military veterans—dominates the skyline. In the 1850s, the light-sensitive coatings for photographic plates were incapable of properly exposing both earth and the sky in a single shot. Marville here set his camera to capture the dramatic sky and clouds, which meant that the city below, for the most part, became a dark mass of undifferentiated buildings. The scale, drama, and majesty of this natural spectacle overwhelm human achievements.
A horizontally oriented black-and-white photograph depicts a view over Paris under a vast, cloud-filled sky. Heavy, dark clouds occupy the upper two-thirds of the image. Below, a silhouette of the city features a prominent dome with a tall spire. Densely packed rooftops and thin chimneys fill the foreground. The city is cast in shadow against a hazy, bright light along the low horizon.

Sky Study, Paris

1856–57

Charles Marville

(French, 1813–1879)
France, 19th century

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