Carte-de-visite with Horseman (La Carte de visite au cavalier) is a rare and significant print created by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot in 1853. This work exemplifies the artist's deep engagement with the experimental photographic techniques popular among French printmakers during the mid-19th century. Rather than relying on traditional etching or lithography, the piece was produced using the innovative cliché-verre process. This technique, merging drawing and photography, was favored by a small circle of artists, including Corot, between 1851 and 1875.
To create a cliché-verre, Corot would draw directly onto a glass plate coated with an opaque substance. The artist removed the coating where lines or shadows were desired, leaving those areas transparent. The prepared plate was then placed directly onto photosensitive paper and exposed to light, functioning essentially as a large photographic negative. This process yields soft, unique lines that convey the spontaneity of the initial sketch, often blurring the distinction between Corot's graphic work and his preparatory studies for oil paintings. The subject, a lone horseman framed in a seemingly spontaneous format, hints at the rising popularity of photographic portraits, such as the carte-de-visite, thereby lending the print its distinctive title.
This cliché-verre falls within a highly productive and experimental phase for Corot, who executed nearly 70 such prints over two decades. These pieces are crucial for understanding the artist’s graphic sensibilities, showing how he adapted traditional drawing methods to a cutting-edge technological process. As a vital example of the convergence between fine art and nascent photography, the print remains significant for tracing the history of 19th-century French printmaking. This singular work is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., where it offers scholars and the public domain access to Corot's diverse and influential artistic output.
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