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Mr. Leroux in the Role of Alceste in Le Misanthrope
About the Artwork
Leroux was a star of the Comédie-Française, the most important theater in France. He is seen here around age 35 as the lead in Molière’s play The Misanthrope, a classic 17th-century play that satirizes the character flaws of the French aristocracy. As in the portrait of Bernhardt nearby, subtle aspects of pose, expression, and costuming create the character. Vallou de Villeneuve began his career as a painter and lithographer, then established himself in photography specializing in nude studies for artists, genre subjects, and portraits of actors. His prints are generally small and meant for viewing in an album rather than displaying on a wall. This portrait probably came from a theater lover’s album of French actors.
Inscriptions
Written in negative: "J. V. de Villeneuve"; in black ink on recto of mount: "Mr. Leroux (le misanthrope)"
Exhibition history
19th-Century French Portrait Photography from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 27-August 9, 2000). France at the Dawn of Photography. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 4, 2009-January 24, 2010). Cheating Death: Portrait Photography’s First Half Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 22, 2016-February 5, 2017).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Julien Vallou de Villeneuve (French, 1795–1866)
- Date
- mid-1850s
- Medium
- albumen print from wax paper negative
- Dimensions
- Image: 14.4 x 12.1 cm (5 11/16 x 4 3/4 in.); Matted: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14 in.)
- Type
- Photograph
- Classification
- Photograph
- Department
- Photography
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Accession no.
- 1997.42
More by Julien Vallou de Villeneuve in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00012971
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