The Unpublished Photogravure Process of Édouard Baldus Jennifer I
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Ryerson University Digital Commons @ Ryerson Theses and dissertations 1-1-2010 Héliogravures : the unpublished photogravure process of Édouard Baldus Jennifer I. Yeates Ryerson University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.ryerson.ca/dissertations Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Yeates, Jennifer I., "Héliogravures : the unpublished photogravure process of Édouard Baldus" (2010). Theses and dissertations. Paper 1012. This Thesis Project is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Ryerson. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Ryerson. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HÉLIOGRAVURES: THE UNPUBLISHED PHOTOGRAVURE PROCESS OF ÉDOUARD BALDUS By Jennifer I. Yeates Honours B.A., Fine Arts, Studio Specialization, University of Waterloo, 2007 A Thesis Project Presented to Ryerson University, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Art In the program of Photographic Preservation and Collections Management Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2010 © Jennifer I. Yeates I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this thesis to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. _____________________ Jennifer I. Yeates I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this thesis by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. _____________________ Jennifer I. Yeates ii Héliogravures: The Unpublished Process of Édouard Baldus. Masters of Art, 2010 Jennifer I. Yeates Photographic Preservation and Collections Management Ryerson University This thesis project uses an incomplete set of twenty six héliogravure prints by Édouard Baldus (1813-1889) from the publication Les Principaux Monument de la France, reproduit en héliogravure par E. Baldus 1869-70, which are held at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The prints are utilized as a primary means of analysis in an attempt to understand Baldus’ working method, as he never published his photogravure process, and about which little is known. The thesis is composed of five sections: 1) a discussion of Baldus’ place in photographic history; 2) an examination of the complete set of forty five héliogravures in the publication based on the copy at the Canadian Centre for Architecture; 3) a case study looking at the relationship between Baldus’ albumen prints and his héliogravures; 4) a second case study analyzing and comparing the physical nature of the photogravure works of William Henry Fox Talbot, Charles Nègre, Peter Henry Emerson and Alfred Stieglitz; with the intension of, 5) deciphering the method Baldus could have used in printing his héliogravures. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to the faculty and staff of Ryerson University and the Art Gallery of Ontario for their help and support. Specifically, I would like to thank my thesis adviser, Mike Robinson for his enthusiasm and his great efforts to explain things clearly and simply. Also, I would like to offer my gratitude to the Canadian Centre for Architecture. Without the generous support of their library staff, I would not have had the opportunity to view Baldus’ albums at such length. I am indebted to many others who have helped me along the way. In particular, Katy Whitman, Chris Evans, David Harris and Malcolm Daniel deserve special mention. This thesis would not have been possible without the ongoing friendship of Jami Guthrie. Without her ability to make every situation positive, late nights seem effortless or her perfectly timed humour, I would not have made it through the past two years. Lastly, I would like to thank Bob Tiegs, the love of my life, for his continuous help and unconditional love and support. iv CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………..vi LIST OF APPENDICIES…………………………………………………………….................ix INTRODUCTION/METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………...…1 LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………………….....3 HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION OF EDOUARD BALDUS…………………………….....7 LES PRINCIPAUX MONUMENT DE LA FRANCE, REPRODUIT EN HELIOGRAVURE PAR E. BALDUS, 1869-1870……………………………………………..10 CASE STUDY 1: COMPARISON OF GRAVURES to ALBUMEN PRINTS…………….15 CASE STUDY 2: PROCESS ARTIFACTS…………………………………………………..23 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS……………………………………………………………….…..37 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………....41 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………………....57 v LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1 Édouard Baldus, Self Portrait, 1853 (Salted Paper Print)……………………...…7 FIGURE 2 Les Principaux Monument de la France, reproduit en héliogravure par E. Baldus 1869-70 (Album Cover)……………………………………………....11 FIGURE 3 Les Principaux Monument de la France, reproduit en héliogravure par E. Baldus 1869-70 (Inside Cover)……………………………………………….11 FIGURE 4 Édouard Baldus Letterpress Signature Stamp……………………………….…..11 FIGURE 5 Les Principaux Monument de la France, reproduit en héliogravure par E. Baldus 1869-70 (Title Page)……………………………………………….....11 FIGURE 6 Les Principaux Monument de la France, reproduit en héliogravure par E. Baldus 1869-70 (Evidence of Numbering System)………………………......12 FIGURE 7 Les Principaux Monument de la France, reproduit en héliogravure par E. Baldus 1869-70 (Album Binding)…………………………………………....12 FIGURE 8 Les Principaux Monument de la France, reproduit en héliogravure par E. Baldus 1869-70 (Evidence of Foxing)……………………………………….13 FIGURE 9 Les Principaux Monument de la France, reproduit en héliogravure par E. Baldus 1869-70 (Evidence of Ink Transfer on Page Dividers)……………....13 FIGURE 10 Vues et Monuments de France (Édouard Baldus Albumen Album)…………....15 FIGURE 11 Monument de Paris (Édouard Baldus Albumen Album)…………………...…..15 FIGURE 12 Édouard Baldus, Palace du Concorde (Héliogravure Print)…………………....17 FIGURE 13 Édouard Baldus, Palace du Concorde (Albumen Print)……………………......17 FIGURE 14 Édouard Baldus, Palace du Concorde (Albumen Detail) – with figure……...…18 FIGURE 15 Édouard Baldus, Palace du Concorde (Héliogravure Detail) – without figure…18 FIGURE 16 Édouard Baldus, Arc de Triomphe (façade) (Héliogravure Print)……………....19 FIGURE 17 Édouard Baldus, Arc de Triomphe (façade) (Albumen Print)……………..……19 vi FIGURE 18 Reversing Prism (set up)………………………………………………………...20 FIGURE 19 Édouard Baldus, Arc de Triomphe (façade) (Evidence of Retouching – Héliogravure)………………………………………………………………….…21 FIGURE 20 Édouard Baldus, Tribunal de Commerce de Paris (façade sur la quai) (Héliogravure)……………………………………………………………………22 FIGURE 21 Michael Maslan, Notre Dame de Paris (Albumen Print)………………………..22 FIGURE 22 William Henry Fox Talbot, Harbour Scene, 1858-60 (Zinc Plate)………...……26 FIGURE 23 William Henry Fox Talbot, Harbour Scene, 1858-60 (Print)……………...…….26 FIGURE 24 William Henry Fox Talbot, Window Tracery & Heroic Sculpture (Copper Plate)……………………………………………………………...…….27 FIGURE 25 William Henry Fox Talbot, Window Tracery & Heroic Sculpture (Print)……....27 FIGURE 26 Charles Nègre, View of a Town from a Distance with Trees and Vegetation, 1861 (Print)……………………………………………………………………....28 FIGURE 27 Charles Nègre, View of a Town from a Distance with Trees and Vegetation, 1861 (Microphotogram)………………………………………………………….28 FIGURE 28 Peter Henry Emerson, the Basket Maker, 1888 (Print)………………………….29 FIGURE 29 Peter Henry Emerson, the Basket Maker, 1888 (Microphotogram)……………..29 FIGURE 30 Alfred Stieglitz, the Ferry Boat, 1910 (Print)…………………………….......…30 FIGURE 31 Alfred Stieglitz, the Ferry Boat, 1910 (Microphotogram)……………………....30 FIGURE 32 Édouard Baldus, Pavillon Sully (Louvre-Paris) (Print)………………………....33 FIGURE 33 Édouard Baldus, Pavillon Sully (Louvre-Paris) (Microphotogram)………….....33 FIGURE 34 Édouard Baldus, Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile-Paris (Print)………………….....33 FIGURE 35 Édouard Baldus, Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile-Paris (Microphotogram)……..…33 FIGURE 36 Grain Detail of a Photogravure……………………………………………….....34 FIGURE 37 Édouard Baldus, Cathédrale de Chartes (fleche) (Print)………………….…….34 FIGURE 38 Édouard Baldus, Cathédrale de Chartes (fleche) (Microphotogram)………...…34 vii FIGURE 39 Microscopic view of a collotype......…………………………………………….35 FIGURE 40 19th Century etching press………………………………………………….……40 viii APPENDICES APPENDIX A: 26 PRINTS FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO (LES PRINCIPAUX MONUMENT DE LA FRANCE, REPRODUIT EN HELIOGRAVURE PAR E. BALDUS, 1869-70)………………………………………….……42 APPENDIX B: ORDER OF PRINTS FROM LES PRINCIPAUX MONUMENT DE LA FRANCE, REPRODUIT EN HELIOGRAVURE PAR E. BALDUS 1869-70 (CANADIAN CENTRE FOR ARCHITECTURE)………………………………………………….……….55 APPENDIX C: LIST OF WORKS FROM LES PRINCIPAUX MONUMENT DE LA FRANCE, REPRODUIT EN HELIOGRAVURE PAR E. BALDUS 1869-70 THAT COME FROM THE SAME NEGATIVE USED FOR BALDUS’ ALBUMEN PRINT…….……...56 ix INTRODUCTION/METHODOLOGY This thesis project has a very tight focus. It will attempt to determine the likely process by which Baldus produced his héliogravures as well as shape, as conclusively as possible, the specifics of his aesthetic and technical method. In part this will be achieved by researching other photographer’s known techniques. Baldus was one of the most successful proponents of photographic processes, producing a large body of work which provided a rich pictorial record of Nineteenth Century France. Because of this, it is important to stress the value