Nadar

This photograph is from the famous Nadar. His pictures from the 1800s of famous artists and musicians came before the “superstar,” and before the “celebrity.” His pictures perfectly captured the times. The new medium of the photograph became a tool used by artists and documentarians, Gaspard-Félix Tournachon could be considered both.  This self-portrait is especially interesting because it expresses his first love of ballooning. The photo also has a caricature element coming from his days as a cartoonist. Both whimsical and revealing.