Amidst a rapidly changing urban landscape, charles nègre photographed traditional street people. The itinerant musician, stooped slightly from the weight of his instrument, is about to enter a door. One foot stands on the step and his hand rests upon the doorknob. In comparison with andré-adolphe-eugene disdéri's organ-grinder, made around the same time, this musician is depicted at the weary end of a day's labor rather than playing at his instrument. Because exposure times in the 1850s prevented much spontaneity, charles nègre had to pose his subject upon the threshold in a stance that the organ-grinder could maintain for the duration of the exposure. The vignette effect of the print's darkened edges was a technical sacrifice that nègre accepted in order to shorten his exposure time. Serving also as a frame for the subject, the dark rim draws the viewer's attention to the isolated figure and produces a more focused image. Date: before March or May 1853. Dimensions: height: 10 cm (3.9 in); width: 8.3 cm (3.2 in). Medium: paper negative, salt print. Collection: Getty Center. Charles Nègre, Organ Grinder at 21, quai Bourbon - Getty Museum
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