'La Reine Hortense' at Le Havre

Physical description

Gold-toned albumen print from a wet collodion negative of the imperial yacht 'La Reine Hortense', docked at Le Havre in the north of France. The harbour front is visible behind the ship, with a small number of people and a row of shops. Sailors are visible aboard the yacht and the water refects the masts of the vessel in the foreground.

Place of Origin

Le Havre, France (made)

Date

1856 (made)

Artist/maker

le gray, gustave, born 1820 - died 1884 (photographer)

Materials and Techniques

Gold-toned albumen print from a wet collodion negative

Dimensions

Height: 32.3 cm, Width: 41.5 cm

Descriptive line

Gustave Le Gray's photograph of the imperial yacht 'La Reine Hortense' at Le Havre. French, 1856. Part of the Chauncey Hare Townshend bequest.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Coe, Brian & Haworth-Booth, Mark. A Guide to Early Photographic Printing Processes. London: The Victoria and Albert Museum in association with Hurtwood Press, 1983.
The full text of the entry is as follows:

Gustave Le Gray French 1820-82
The imperial yacht 'La Reine Hortense' at Le Havre 1856
Gold-toned albumen print from wet collodion negative
Facsimile signature in red ink
323 X 415 mm Mus. no. 68,006 Bequeathed by Chauncey Hare Townshend

Gustave Le Gray's striking record of the Imperial yacht shows an effective combination of the high resolution wet collodion negative and the albumen printing paper, giving a finely detailed print. The 15 minutes needed by Samuel Smith for his river scene (The River Nene, Wisbech 1861) were not necessary here, as the wet collodion process was appreciably faster, but the blurring of some of the quay-side figures - some are mere 'ghosts' - indicates that the exposure still ran to many seconds. The print shows the typical yellowed highlights of the albumen print, partially gold-toned.
Le Gray undertook commissions for the Emperor of France. The steam yacht was named after the Emperor's mother and was much used for Imperial tours and visits following the conclusion of the Crimean War and the Universal Exhibition of 1855 (at which Le Gray was awarded the highest medal for photography). This view of the Imperial yacht was perhaps taken prior to its departure, bearing Prince Napoleon, on an expedition to Greenland and Spitzbergen in June 1856. The tallest figure on deck, apparently smiling, has been identified as the Prince himself. The figures would have posed for the picture, which must have been taken from one of the escort vessels of the expedition. During the same summer Le Gray made his instantaneous photographs of the sea, which provided one of the photographic sensations of the decade. The print indicates Le Gray's mastery of the wet collodion process and forms a comparison to the atmospheric effects he achieved with the wax paper process (see 'In the Forest of Fontainebleau', of 1851, Mus. no. 68,007).

Materials

Photograph

Techniques

Albumen; Wet collodion

Subjects depicted

Ship; Harbour; Le Havre; Yacht

Categories

Photographs

Collection code

PDP