Souvenir of Ostia

"Souvenir of Ostia" by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (French, 1796-1875), created in 1855, represents an important moment in the history of printmaking, employing the experimental medium of cliché-verre. This hybrid process combines the freedom of drawing with the reproducibility of photography. Corot executed the piece by etching or drawing directly onto a glass plate coated with an opaque ground. Once finished, this plate acted as a photographic negative, which was then contact-printed onto photosensitive paper to yield the final, characteristically brown-toned print.

This choice of medium underscores Corot's exploratory nature during a period of rapid technological change in France. Although widely recognized as a pivotal figure in 19th-century landscape painting, Corot produced numerous cliché-verre works, utilizing the technique to capture and multiply scenic views. The title of this print suggests a recollection of the Italian coast, Ostia, connecting the work to the classical tradition of European landscape artists who found immense inspiration in Roman ruins and the surrounding campagna.

The atmospheric quality of the print, marked by its soft focus and tonal richness, is characteristic of Corot’s broader aesthetic, prioritizing mood and light over sharp detail. Classified officially as a print, Souvenir of Ostia is a valuable record of the early engagement between artistic drawing and photographic technology in 1855. This piece resides in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, offering scholarly insight into the technical innovations embraced by French artists of the period.