Untitled, from the series "Bois de Boulogne"

Art Historical Context

Step into the serene landscapes of 19th-century Paris with Charles Marville's *Untitled* from the *Bois de Boulogne* series, circa 1850. Marville, a pioneering French photographer and the official chronicler of Paris under Napoleon III, captured the city's evolving beauty during a time of rapid urbanization led by Baron Haussmann. The Bois de Boulogne, a sprawling park on Paris's western edge, was a favored escape for Parisians, blending wild woodlands with manicured paths—a perfect subject for Marville's keen eye. This albumen silver print, measuring 25.5 × 35.8 cm, exemplifies early photographic innovation. The albumen process, introduced in the 1840s, used egg whites to create a glossy surface that yielded sharp details, rich tonal range, and subtle gradations of light—ideal for rendering the dappled sunlight and textured foliage of the park. Marville's precise compositions not only documented the natural splendor amid industrial change but also preserved a vanishing pastoral idyll. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Photography and Media department, this work highlights photography's role as both art and historical record, inviting us to reflect on how 1850s viewers marveled at these luminous images, bridging the gap between painting and the mechanical eye of the camera.

About the Artist

Charles Marville · 1813–1879

**Charles Marville**, born Charles François Bossu on July 17, 1813, in Paris, adopted his professional pseudonym around 1832 to avoid the stigma of "bossu," meaning hunchback in French. Trained as a painter, engraver, and illustrator, he spent nearly two decades producing woodblock illustrations for books and magazines before embracing photography around 1850. His transition coincided with the med...