Artwork Page for Courtyard with Painters

Details / Information for Courtyard with Painters

Courtyard with Painters

late 1860s

France(?), 19th century

Medium
albumen print from wet collodion negative
Measurements
Image: 28.4 x 38.6 cm (11 3/16 x 15 3/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1998.176
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print

Description

This photographer inventively expanded the medium to create a rare example of both early genre (everyday life) photography and documentation of artists at work. The collodion negative captured a wealth of detail. The French village courtyard bustles with activity-the artist in the foreground hugs a squirming child and chats with his wife; a group of peasant women in the background heave huge bundles of laundry about in carts and baskets; and an innkeeper poses proudly for the camera outside his ivy-covered establishment. The diagonals of the sloping roofs and the textures of tiles, wood, and stone enhance the composition's visual interest. A luminous glow, absorbed by open canvas umbrellas, pervades the center of the scene.
A horizontally oriented sepia-toned albumen print depicts an enclosed courtyard surrounded by tall, timber-framed buildings. On the left, two figures sit in chairs. In the center, an artist sits at an easel shaded by white umbrellas near a wooden wheelbarrow. In the background, a woman stands beside white laundry. To the right, a bearded man stands next to a row of potted plants.

Courtyard with Painters

late 1860s

France(?), 19th century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork