Image and Enterprise

📖 The Scoop

The French photographer Adolphe Braun (1812-77) was one of the first people to realize the huge possibilities laid open by photography and to reproduce works of art photographically for a mass audience. Trained as a textile designer, Braun established his reputation for beautiful photographs by creating a herbarium for designers and art students; he went on to document everything from French landscape, architecture and traditional regional costume (particularly in his native Alsace), to animal breeds, husbandry and the events and legacies of the Franco-Prussian War. He sought popular uses for photography, applying it both to the fine arts and to industry. His opulent bouquets of flowers are lush and delicate; his landscapes are breathtaking; his animal studies arresting; his war photos unrelenting. He created thousands of visual souvenirs of Alpine sites and stereoscopic views of popular holiday locations throughout Europe. In this book, six enlightening essays provide an overview of Braun’s career, discussing his experimentation with technology and the political, cultural, social and economic climate in which his activities flourished.

Genre: Photography / Individual Photographers / General (fancy, right?)