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Chalons Encampment: Maneuvers on October 3 (Camp de Châlons: manoeuvres du 3 octobre)

A work made of albumen print, from the album "souvenirs du camp de châlons".
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of albumen print, from the album "souvenirs du camp de châlons".

Date:

1857

Artist:

Gustave Le Gray
French, 1820–1884

About this artwork

After achieving considerable success for his seascapes and studio work, Gustave Le Gray received a monumental commission from Napoléon III in 1857. The emperor asked Le Gray to document the newly inaugurated Camp de Châlons, a vast military training ground for 25,000 troops and 6,000 horses. Le Gray’s results were edited and collated into a series of presentation albums offered by Napoléon III to the principal officers participating in exercises held at the camp (this print is drawn from one such album). Unfazed by lengthy exposure times or the immensity of his subject, Le Gray displayed a characteristic sensitivity to composition and light. In this photograph, a mounted officer and a soldier in a bearskin cap are visible in the foreground, but the line of troops receding into the haze suggests the presence of unseen multitudes.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Gustave Le Gray

Title

Chalons Encampment: Maneuvers on October 3 (Camp de Châlons: manoeuvres du 3 octobre)

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 1857

Medium

Albumen print, from the album "Souvenirs du Camp de Châlons"

Dimensions

27 × 36 cm (10 11/16 × 14 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

Major Acquisitions Centennial Endowment

Reference Number

1995.130.10

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/144430/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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