.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Pour ce botaniste normand, la photographie constitue un prolongement naturel de ses recherches scientifiques. Auteur de La Flore de Normandie, ouvrage de référence plusieurs fois réédité, il s'intéresse très tôt aux procédés photographiques et participe à l'amélioration du daguerréotype avant d'expérimenter successivement le calotype puis les négatifs sur verre. Il met au point un châssis-presse pour le tirage des épreuves positives utilisé à partir de 1848 par la plupart des photographes. Installé à Falaise, il entretient des liens avec les pionniers du médium et accueille notamment Hippolyte Bayard en 1851 lors de son passage en Normandie dans le cadre de la Mission héliographique.
Cette photographie illustre parfaitement la rencontre entre observation scientifique et pratique photographique. Occupant presque entièrement le champ de l'image, un imposant plant de ricin est représenté avec une grande précision descriptive, se découpant sur un mur ensoleillé. Le râteau placé à droite de la composition sert d'échelle de comparaison et permet d'apprécier les dimensions exceptionnelles du végétal, transformant ainsi l'épreuve en un véritable document d'étude.
For this Norman botanist, photography was a natural extension of his scientific research. The author of La Flore de Normandie, a landmark reference work that went through several editions, he took an early interest in photographic processes and contributed to improvements in the daguerreotype before successively experimenting with the calotype and glass negatives. He developed a printing frame for producing positive prints that was adopted by most photographers beginning in 1848. Based in Falaise, he maintained close ties with the pioneers of the medium and notably hosted Hippolyte Bayard in 1851 during his stay in Normandy as part of the Heliographic Mission.
This photograph perfectly illustrates the intersection of scientific observation and photographic practice. Occupying almost the entire picture plane, an imposing castor bean plant is rendered with great descriptive precision, standing out against a sunlit wall. The rake placed at the right of the composition serves as a scale reference, allowing the viewer to appreciate the plant’s exceptional size and transforming the print into a genuine document of study.
Cette photographie illustre parfaitement la rencontre entre observation scientifique et pratique photographique. Occupant presque entièrement le champ de l'image, un imposant plant de ricin est représenté avec une grande précision descriptive, se découpant sur un mur ensoleillé. Le râteau placé à droite de la composition sert d'échelle de comparaison et permet d'apprécier les dimensions exceptionnelles du végétal, transformant ainsi l'épreuve en un véritable document d'étude.
For this Norman botanist, photography was a natural extension of his scientific research. The author of La Flore de Normandie, a landmark reference work that went through several editions, he took an early interest in photographic processes and contributed to improvements in the daguerreotype before successively experimenting with the calotype and glass negatives. He developed a printing frame for producing positive prints that was adopted by most photographers beginning in 1848. Based in Falaise, he maintained close ties with the pioneers of the medium and notably hosted Hippolyte Bayard in 1851 during his stay in Normandy as part of the Heliographic Mission.
This photograph perfectly illustrates the intersection of scientific observation and photographic practice. Occupying almost the entire picture plane, an imposing castor bean plant is rendered with great descriptive precision, standing out against a sunlit wall. The rake placed at the right of the composition serves as a scale reference, allowing the viewer to appreciate the plant’s exceptional size and transforming the print into a genuine document of study.