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Study of Leaves

A work made of gum bichromate photogram.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of gum bichromate photogram.

Date:

1877

Artist:

Amelia Bergner
American, 1856–1923

About this artwork

The daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia brewer, Amelia Bergner was active in musical and cultural circles. It is likely that her interest in art, rather than an urge to classify the region’s flora, prompted her to produce the botanical album from which this print is drawn. Bergner placed fern fronds and leaves directly on paper coated with light-sensitive chemicals and pigments, which she then exposed to the sun. The practice of recording botanical specimens photographically dates to the earliest photographic experiments: William Henry Fox Talbot reproduced flowers and leaves on light-sensitive paper in the 1830s and was considered fitting for 19th-century women, as it exposed them to art, science, and healthful fresh air.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Amelia Bergner

Title

Study of Leaves

Place

United States (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 1877

Medium

Gum bichromate photogram

Dimensions

Image: 28.9 × 22.9 cm (11 7/16 × 9 1/16 in.); Album page: 40.7 × 34.3 cm (16 1/16 × 13 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Photography Associates Fund

Reference Number

2009.36

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/197570/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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