Skip to Content
Today Open today 11–5

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

Untitled

A work made of waxed paper negative.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of waxed paper negative.

Date:

1854

Artist:

Édouard Baldus
French, born Germany, 1813–1889

About this artwork

Initially trained as a painter, Édouard-Denis Baldus turned to photography in the late 1840s and quickly gained recognition. In 1851 the French government selected him as one of five photographers to document the nation’s architectural heritage, a survey known as the Missions Héliographiques. The images Baldus produced for the project exhibited such technical prowess that he won support for another project, Les villes de France photographiées, designed to revive interest in the nation’s Roman and medieval history. During the summer of 1854, Baldus traveled in the Auvergne region of central France, making pictures that emphasize the drama of the natural landscape, such as this river scene. Although the large-format waxed paper negatives he employed were never intended to be exhibited, they remain compelling objects that offer up a startling range of tones.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Edouard Denis Baldus

Title

Untitled

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 1854

Medium

Waxed paper negative

Dimensions

Image/paper: 34 × 44.5 cm (13 7/16 × 17 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

The Mary and Leigh Block Endowment Fund

Reference Number

2006.312

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/188835/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.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms