[Seated Woman Holding a Child]

Félix Devisuzanne French

Not on view

This charming portrait epitomizes the work of the French photographer Félix Devisuzanne, who was praised for his ability to capture sitters’ natural expressions rather than the grimaces often seen in early photographs. Wherever the itinerant daguerreotypist went, local French press lauded the promptness of his process. In Toulouse, for example, his “pretty portraits” were noted not only for their fine features, but also for the tactility of their subjects’ apparel: “nothing compares to the softness of clothes whose silky reflections equal those of the newest and brightest fabrics.” Beginning in 1842, Devisuzanne travelled between Normandy and the Mediterranean before finally settling in Toulon in 1847; he operated a portrait studio there through at least 1859.

[Seated Woman Holding a Child], Félix Devisuzanne (French, 1809–1873), Daguerreotype

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.