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Le Christ portant sa croix

Photograph
c. 1827 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The French inventor Niépce made the earliest surviving photographic images, which he called ‘heliographs’ or ‘sun-writing’. Only 16 are thought to still exist. Although Niépce experimented with light-sensitive plates inside a camera, he made most of his images, including this one, by placing engravings of works by other artists directly onto a metal plate. He would then have the heliographs coated in ink and printed.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • Le Christ portant sa croix (assigned by artist)
  • Christ Carrying his Cross (alternative title)
Materials and techniques
Niépce made the first photograph on a pewter plate in 1826 or 1827. He named his process Heliography. The Heliographic process used Bitumen of Judea, here on pewter, which hardens when exposed to light. To create a negative, an engraving was varnished, placed over the plate and exposed to sunlight. The soluble unexposed bitumen was dissolved in an oil of lavender-kerosene mixture and the plate was etched in an acid bath. The exposed hardened bitumen acted as a resist, so that the acid etched only areas of unexposed metal. The resulting heliographic plate was used to make final prints on paper. The heliographic process varies depending on how long the plate is immersed in acid. This plate is very lightly etched, the etching lines are so shallow that the plate could not be inked and printed.
Brief description
Photograph by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, 'Le Christ portant sa croix' (Christ Carrying his Cross), heliograph, c. 1827.
Physical description
Framed early heliograph on pewter. This heliograph on a pewter plate is taken from a varnished engraving (whereabouts unknown).
Dimensions
  • Frame height: 299mm
  • Frame width: 232mm
  • Frame depth: 32mm
Content description
This heliograph depicts the figure of Christ carrying a cross on his back.
Production typeUnique
Gallery label
Photography Centre 2018-20:

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (1765–1833)
Christ Carrying his Cross
1827

The French inventor Niépce made the earliest surviving photographic images, which he called ‘heliographs’ or ‘sun-writing’. Only 16 are thought to still exist. Although Niépce experimented with light-sensitive plates inside a camera, he made most of his images, including this one, by placing engravings of works by other artists directly onto a metal plate. He would then have the heliographs coated in ink and printed.
Heliograph on pewter plate
Museum no. RPS.1-2017

The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Art Fund
Cameraless Photography

Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (1765–1833)
Christ Carrying his Cross
1827
Heliograph on pewter plate
29.9 x 23.2 cm (framed size)
Museum no. RPS.1-2017

Niépce brought his heliographs from France to London in 1827. Their gilded frames appear to have been made for the images at that time. He hoped to display the works and demonstrate his techniques to the Royal Society and King George IV but the meetings apparently did not take place. Niépce returned home, leaving some plates in England with a Fellow of the Royal Society. They were presented to the Royal Photographic Society in 1924 by the son of photographer Henry Peach Robinson who had acquired them for his private collection.

The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Art Fund
Credit line
The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund.
Summary
The French inventor Niépce made the earliest surviving photographic images, which he called ‘heliographs’ or ‘sun-writing’. Only 16 are thought to still exist. Although Niépce experimented with light-sensitive plates inside a camera, he made most of his images, including this one, by placing engravings of works by other artists directly onto a metal plate. He would then have the heliographs coated in ink and printed.
Associated object
PROV.6151-2017 (RPS Group record)
Bibliographic reference
p. 120 Burning with Desire: the conception of photography, by Geoffrey Batchen (Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 1997).
Other numbers
  • XRG594 - RPS collection - V&A identifier
  • 2003-5001/2/22661 - Science Museum Group accession number
Collection
Accession number
RPS.1-2017

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Record createdMarch 10, 2017
Record URL
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