Student Artwork Guide
Copyright This work is in the public domain. Félix Nadar died in 1910; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1980.
In context
Sarah Bernhardt — Félix Nadar
Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 90 at death.
Shaded: the lifetime of Félix Nadar (1820–1910) every dated painting, decade by decade
First works: up to 1861 Main working years: 1861–1878 Late works: from 1878
Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them
This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?
Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.
More works to set beside this one: topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/felix-nadar-sarah-bernhardt-D2T3V2-en/
Measured from the image
Main colour
Phthalo Green #231910
Catalogued palette
These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour
The ten leading countries
Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.
Together these works take 56.1% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 255 works by this artist, of which 47 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 2 of them, with 4.8% of that attention. The same counts, month by month
Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.
Artist and museum
Born: Gaspard-Félix Tournachon on April 5, 1820, in Paris (though some sources suggest Lyon).
His father, Victor Tournachon, was a printer and bookseller.
Initially studied medicine but abandoned it due to financial constraints after his father’s death.
Nadar, as he became known, began his career as a caricaturist and novelist, contributing to various newspapers.
Began experimenting with photography around 1853.
Opened his first photographic studio in 1854 at 113 rue St. Lazare, later moving to 35 Boulevard des Capucines in 1860.
Quickly gained recognition for his striking and psychologically insightful portraits.
Rejection of Convention: Nadar eschewed the opulent backdrops common in portraiture, preferring natural light and a focus on the sitter’s personality.
In 1858, Nadar became the first person to take aerial photographs using balloons.
Overcame technical challenges related to developing photographic plates at altitude by inventing a gas-proof cotton cover for his balloon baskets.
Also pioneered artificial lighting in photography, notably within the Paris Catacombs.
Le Géant: Commissioned the construction of a massive balloon named “Le Géant” (The Giant) in 1863, inspiring Jules Verne’s Five Weeks in a Balloon.
Portraiture: Photographed numerous prominent figures including Victor Hugo, Charles Baudelaire, Sarah Bernhardt, and Gustave Courbet.
Established the world’s first airmail service during the Siege of Paris (1870-71) using balloon flights.
Hosted the first Impressionist exhibition in his studio in 1874, providing a crucial platform for emerging artists.
Published what is considered the first photo-interview in 1886, featuring chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul.
Moved his studio to Marseille from 1895 to 1909.
Died on March 20, 1910, in Paris and is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery.
His son, Paul Nadar, continued the studio’s operations after his death.
Quand j’étais photographe: Published a memoir reflecting on his life and work, offering valuable insights into 19th-century photography.
Historical Significance: Nadar's innovative techniques and artistic vision profoundly impacted the development of photography as an art form. His portraits remain iconic representations of Parisian intellectual and artistic circles.
topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/felix-nadar-sarah-bernhardt-D2T3V2-en/
Look closely
Sarah Bernhardt — Félix Nadar
Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.
Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.
"Sarah Bernhardt" by Félix Nadar belongs to the Pictorialism movement. This movement provides the stylistic context of the work.
The luminance recorded for "Sarah Bernhardt" by Félix Nadar is dark.
To get a digital file of "Sarah Bernhardt" by Félix Nadar, order a high-resolution digital image download on its Digital Image page.