Jacques-Joseph Ebelman on his Deathbed
This paper negative, from the collection of Robert's descendants, shows Jacques-Joseph Ebelmen, director of the Sèvres porcelain factory, on his deathbed March 31, 1852. From its inception, photography was enlisted to record the faces of the deceased-it was, in effect, a new type of death mask. As the antipode to proper representation of the living world, the negative is particularly appropriate for a depiction of death. In it, Ebelmen's head-with pallid skin and white hair-rests on black pillows, and the slight solarization of the negative suggests a spiritual aura.
Artwork Details
- Title: Jacques-Joseph Ebelman on his Deathbed
- Artist: Louis-Rémy Robert (French, 1810–1882)
- Date: March 31, 1852
- Medium: Waxed paper negative
- Dimensions: 19 x 24.5 cm (7 1/2 x 9 5/8 in.)
- Classification: Negatives
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Hite Foundation Gift, 2000
- Object Number: 2000.235
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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Louis-Rémy Robert
1850–55
Louis-Rémy Robert
1850–55
Louis-Rémy Robert
ca. 1854
Louis-Rémy Robert
ca. 1853
Louis-Rémy Robert
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