Camille Silvy

I suspect Camille Silvy is not a household name, despite his obvious fame during the 19th century. After leaving his native France and establishing a thriving studio in London, he had the patronage of Queen Victoria. What's most impressive though is the range: portraits, landscapes, artistic photography. In addition to his obvious skill he clearly also possessed a lively wit (see the portraits of his father-in-law looking through a frame designed like a postage stamp and of his wife leaning through an Old Master-style frame. Meanwhile his technical proficiency can be seen in the 360 degree panorama of an eerily deserted Champs Elysees, with a ghostly Arc de Triomphe just visible in the distance. You have to bear in mind this was the mid-1800s when the photographic process was very slow. This actually makes the multiple exposure artistic works even more impressive. The real treasure though is the collection of the studio's daybooks held by the National Portrait Gallery. They provide a photographic record of every sitting during those years. They could be opened at any page and would be fascinating. As it is, we get to see a rather ghoulish "momento mori" of a recently deceased child, 2 playful self-portraits of Silvy, and a group of photographs of a (black) Lago merchant and his wife (also black and a goddaughter of the Queen) Alongside the numerous cartes-de-visites of society and theatrical personalities, it all provides an intriguing window onto Victorian society.