Lot Essay
The term clich-verre is generally used to describe the prints that are made from an exposed and developed glass plate which has had its blackened collodion or gelatin emulsion scratched with a stylus to reveal clear glass. It is therefore a graphic medium which combines elements of printmaking and photography. They were first produced in 1839 with the help of Talbot's photogenic drawing process. Corot and Millet became the most famous practitioners of the art in the 1850s when it was first perfected. Prints were made from Corot's clich-verre negatives using the traditional salt print process between 1911 and 1913 by Paul Desavary. These prints were made from the whole of the glass plate, thus showing the dark edges as in the examples shown here. For a detailed description of the print types and dates see Paviot, pp. 125-130.