Camille Silvy was a pioneer of early photography and one of the greatest French photographers of the nineteenth century. This exhibition includes many remarkable images which have not been exhibited since the 1860s.
Over 100 images, including a large number of carte de visites, focus on a ten-year creative burst from 1857-67 working in Algiers, rural France, Paris and London, and illustrate how Silvy pioneered many now familiar branches of the medium including theatre, fashion and street photography.
Working under the patronage of Queen Victoria, Silvy photographed royalty, aristocrats and celebrities. He also portrayed uncelebrated people, the professional classes and country gentry, their wives, children and servants. The results offer a unique glimpse into nineteenth-century society through the eyes of one of photography's outstanding innovators.
Exhibition organised by the Jeu de Paume, Paris, in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, London
Neartest Tube:
Leicester Square, Charing Cross
Tickets
Full price £5
Concessions £4.50 and £4
Members Admission free
Opening hours
Daily 10.00 - 18.00
Closure commences at 17.50
Thursdays and Fridays until 21.00
Closure commences at 20.50
Last admission to the exhibition is 45 minutes before the Gallery closes.