Charles Baudelaire, Full Face III

The print Charles Baudelaire, Full Face III was executed in 1869 by Édouard Manet (French, 1832-1883), adapted from a photograph taken earlier by the noted photographer Nadar Gaspard Félix Tournachon (French, 1820 - 1910). This particular impression, an etching in black on ivory laid paper, was printed later by Andre Salmon (French, 1880-1969). The subject is the celebrated French poet and critic Charles Baudelaire, a crucial figure in modern literature and a powerful advocate for Manet's early work. Manet created several portraits of the poet, utilizing printmaking techniques to capture Baudelaire’s intense and often somber demeanor, reflecting their close friendship and mutual artistic respect during a pivotal era for the arts in France.

As a highly skilled printmaker, Manet utilized the etching process to achieve remarkable depth and texture in the shadows surrounding the poet's head, contrasting Baudelaire’s dark attire against the lightly toned ivory laid paper. This piece, classified specifically as a print, reflects the growing intersection between fine art and photography in the latter half of the 19th century. By translating Nadar's photographic likeness into the etching medium, Manet honors the poet while translating the objective realism of the lens into the subjective, expressive language of line typical of his mature artistic style. The enduring historical significance of this image has made it widely studied, and high-quality prints of such seminal works are often made available through public domain initiatives. This important example of French graphic arts resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.