Cleveland Museum of Art

Sarah Bernhardt in "Zaire" by Voltaire

Étienne Carjat

Date

1874

Medium

albumen print from wet collodion negative

Culture

France, 19th century

Department

Photography

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Carjat’s portrait studio, like those of Nadar and Mathew Brady, made its reputation on celebrity portraiture. An important segment of that market was the theatrical portrait. Thanks to photographs and engravings made from them and published in newspapers, performers like French actress Sarah Bernhardt gained international fame. “The Divine Sarah” is seen here at age 30 costumed for a play about star-crossed lovers set during the Crusades. Like Nadar, Carjat preferred plain backdrops to let the sitters’ poses, expressions, and costumes tell their story. The long exposure times, however, limited the theatricality of their poses.

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