Untitled

About the Artwork

It is not surprising that the photograph recalls paintings. Robert Demachy, who had started experimenting with photography in the 1870s, was part of the Pictorialist movement, artists from Europe and the United States who argued that photography was a fine art medium. They often found stylistic and narrative inspiration for their photographs in paintings, drawings, and prints.

Inscriptions

Written in blue pencil on verso: "Coating too thick / not enough bichromate / to [sic] much development in / the high lights [sic] D"; in pencil on verso: "couche trop épouse"; "78"

Exhibition history

Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 24, 1996-February 2, 1997). France in the Time of Manet and Morisot. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 10-August 23, 2026).

Quick Overview

Artist: Robert Demachy (French, 1859–1936)
Date: c. 1900–1906
Medium: gum bichromate print
Dimensions: Image: 21.6 x 17.8 cm (8 1/2 x 7 in.); Paper: 23.6 x 18.2 cm (9 5/16 x 7 3/16 in.); Matted: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14 in.)
Type: Photograph
Classification: Photograph
Department: Photography
Credit line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Mann
Accession no.: 1985.203

Provenance

Jacques Demachy

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 7, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.