Study of Palm Trees

1853

An advance for “The Age of Augustus” and a first look at Istanbul

Emperor Napoleon III announced the 1855 World’s Fair, and Gérôme asked for a commission to paint an allegory on a subject of his own choosing — the glorification of the Emperor Augustus; as early as February 1853 he received an advance of 5,000 francs out of a budget of 20,000 to travel for landscapes and ethnographic types. That same year he visited the East for the first time — Istanbul, with the actor Edmond Got; the short stay awakened a wish to know the life of the “real Asia”.

1853

Moves into the “Boîte à Thé”

In 1853 Gérôme moved into the Boîte à Thé, a group of studios in rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs that became a meeting place for artists, writers and actors, where George Sand entertained the composers Berlioz, Brahms and Rossini and the writers Gautier and Turgenev.

1854

The Balkans and the Danube: “Recreation in a Russian Camp”

The planned trip to “Russian Asia” was cancelled by the Crimean War, and Gérôme set off for the Balkans with the actor Edmond Got. In Wallachia he saw the Russian army arrive and sketched singing conscripts with an officer holding a whip; this sketch became the basis of “Recreation in a Russian Camp”.

1855

The 1855 fair: “The Age of Augustus” and “Recreation in a Russian Camp”

Critics met the huge canvas “The Age of Augustus” (6.2 × 10.15 m) without enthusiasm: they were angered by the belittling of the Nativity and the exaltation of the emperor, and only Gautier left a wholly positive review. The most attention went to the modest “Recreation in a Russian Camp”, painted in a realist spirit; Gérôme was made a knight of the Legion of Honour.

1856

Four months in Egypt with Bartholdi

In 1856 Gérôme spent four months in Egypt with the playwright Augier, the sculptor Bartholdi and other artists; the party hired a boat with cabins. Bartholdi brought a camera and infected Gérôme with his enthusiasm for photography, and from then on Gérôme constantly used photographs as a source of detail for his canvases.

1857

The 1857 Salon: Egyptian subjects and “The Duel”

Paintings inspired by the Egyptian trip — “Egyptian Recruits”, “Camels Watering” — and the puzzling “The Duel after the Masquerade” enhanced Gérôme’s reputation. Capitalising on the success of the “Duel”, he made two copies himself: one for Alexander II (now in the Hermitage) and one for reproduction in print (Walters Art Museum).