[PHOTOGRAPHIE] Portrait photoglyptique de Théodore de Banville

Photoglypty in the format of a photographic plate, mounted on rigid cardboard from La galerie Contemporaine by Goupil. Photoglypty after the photograph by Tourtin.
Medium portrait of Théodore de Banville, hands crossed, 17x22cm. Light foxing in the margins. Fine condition.
Similar to a carbon print with its warm and deep tones, photoglypty is a complex photomechanical process for photographic reproduction that was used for about 20 years, from 1875 to 1895. Seeking an ideal and aesthetic image of famous men, the plates were always retouched and repainted, to smooth out an unsightly wrinkle or too bothersome defect, polish the hair, etc. Thus photography and printmaking merge in a new representation.
La Galerie Contemporaine became a publishing house that sold images of contemporary men, these images were assembled in 8 folio volumes by Paul de Lacroix but continued to be sold separately at the headquarters of the Galerie Contemporaine.