4041 - Galerie Contemporaine

Galerie Contemporaine Photographer: Gaspard-Félix Tournachon Nadar (1820-1910). George Sand. 1864. Woodburytype, printed ca. 1876, mounted to board. 23,1 x 17,1 cm (mount 29,7 x 22,5 cm). Printed below image: “Galerie Contemporaine” and “Cliché Nadar”; titled “GEORGE SAND.” Made during Nadar’s developing friendship with Sand, this 1864 portrait belongs to a group of sittings in which the novelist took a close interest. Before one appointment, she wrote that Nadar would remake her portrait “until he succeeds.” Against a plain background, the image concentrates on her face and distinctive striped dress, conveying the strength and dignity for which the celebrated writer was admired. Sand subsequently made Félix and Ernestine Nadar her preferred portraitists. – Mount with scattered foxing and light soiling, more pronounced on the verso, slight edge wear, soft corners and a curved surface scratch in the lower right margin; print with several fine horizontal creases in the upper background, visible primarily in raking light, a few minor surface abrasions and a small area of surface loss in the lower portion, otherwise a strong print in good condition. Lit.: Galerie contemporaine, littéraire, artistique. 1st year, 2nd series, no. 37. Paris: Ludovic Baschet, 1876, n.p.