The Portal of Saint Ursinus at Bourges, rue du Vieux Poirier

CC0 Public Domain Designation

Photography and Media

1854

Bisson Frères (Louis-Auguste Bisson, French, 1814–1876 and
Auguste-Rosalie Bisson, French, 1826–1900)

In the early years of photography, landscape studies, architectural views, and studio portraiture were the main focus of the new medium. A photograph such as The Portal of Saint Ursinus at Bourges of 1863 by the Bisson Frères (Bisson Brothers) reveals a widespread interest on the part of the French at that time in their nation’s past and in the preservation of historical monuments. Using large-format cameras and glass-plate negatives, the Bissons captured their architectural subjects with exquisite sharpness of detail and purity of light.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Photography and Media

Artist: Bisson Frères
Title: The Portal of Saint Ursinus at Bourges, rue du Vieux Poirier
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: Albumen print
Inscriptions: Unmarked recto; verso unchecked
Dimensions: Image/paper: 42.6 × 35.3 cm (16 13/16 × 13 15/16 in.)
Credit Line: The Mary and Leigh Block Endowment Fund
Reference Number: 1980.213
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/60079/manifest.json

Travis, David. 1982. “Photography in Chicago Collections.” Exh. cat. The Art Institute of Chicago. p. 10.
Matthew S. Witkovsky et al., “The Art Institute of Chicago Field Guide to Photography and Media,” eds. Antawan I. Byrd, Elizabeth Siegel, and Carl Fuldner, pl. 331, p. 338 (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2023).

Chicago, Illinois, Art Institute of Chicago, “A History of Photography from Chicago Collection,” April 24–June 6, 1982.
Art Institute of Chicago, “Crossing the Line: Photography Reconsidered,” January 29 - June 4, 2000, (David Travis).
Art Institute of Chicago, Gallery 10 Permanent Collection Rotation, August 2011–April 2012.
Houston, Texas, Museum of Fine Arts, “The Art of Photography: 1839-1989,” February 11-April 30, 1989; traveled to Australian National Gallery, Canberra, June 17-August 27, 1989; Royal Academy of Arts, London, September 23-December 23, 1989; Sezon Museum of Art, Tokyo, March 3-April 1, 1990. (Anne Tucker)

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The Portal of Saint Ursinus at Bourges, rue du Vieux Poirier

Currently Off View

Date:

Artist:

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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.

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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.

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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.