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The Day's Orders (L'Ordre du Jour)

A work made of albumen print.
Public Domain

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  • A work made of albumen print.

Date:

May 1859

Artist:

Camille Silvy
French, 1834-1910

About this artwork

In this highly staged composition, which he nevertheless presented as a news photograph, Camille Silvy adapted a traditional genre painting for the depiction of a topical event. In May 1859, Emperor Napoleon III led the French Army into Italy to aid the controversial Italian unification movement (and secure the region of Nice for France). To rally French citizens behind his undertaking, the emperor sent his address to the frontline troops—the “Day’s Orders”—instantly by electric telegraph back to Paris, where it was printed overnight and posted in the streets. Silvy staged an image of the populace gathering before a poster; two of the men, who turn to face the camera, represent the intellectual and revolutionary factions opposed to the virtual police state that characterized Paris under the emperor’s reign. The following week, the newspaper L’Illustration printed a lithographic reproduction of the photograph, making this picture one of the earliest examples of photojournalism.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Camille Silvy

Title

The Day's Orders (L'Ordre du Jour)

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1859

Medium

Albumen print

Dimensions

Image/paper: 24.9 × 18.6 cm (9 13/16 × 7 3/8 in.); Mount: 40.5 × 30.3 cm (16 × 11 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

Photography Gala Fund; Smart Family Acquisition Fund; Purchased with funds provided by Joyce Chelberg; Lucia Woods and Daniel A. Lindley, Jr. Fund

Reference Number

2011.6

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/205408/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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