Eugène Pelletan

1852–1853

Turning to photography: his brother Adrien’s studio

By 1850, at thirty, he was a darling of the boulevards, known for his wit, but neither the theatre, the art salon nor the magazines gave him enough to live on. In 1852 he became co-owner of the photographic studio of his brother Adrien (“Nadar the Younger”), and in 1853 he began taking his first photographs; the partnership soon ended in litigation.

1854

A portrait studio at 113 rue Saint-Lazare

In 1854 a friend encouraged him to begin a portrait photography business; busy with caricature, Nadar yielded operations to his younger brother Adrien, who soon ran into debt, while Nadar took portraits at his own studio at 113 rue Saint-Lazare. Tensions between the brothers led to legal disputes over the right to use the name “Nadar”.

11 sierpnia 1854

Married: Ernestine Nadar

1855

Gold medal at the Exposition Universelle for the Pierrot series

The “Expressions of Pierrot” series was shown at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1855, where it won a gold medal.

1858

The world’s first aerial photographs

He became the first person to take aerial photographs, using the wet-plate collodion process: the plates had to be prepared and developed in the basket while aloft, and escaping gas ruined the images until Nadar invented a gas-proof cotton cover for his baskets. He also pioneered the use of artificial light in photography, working underground in the catacombs of Paris.

1860

A studio at 35 Boulevard des Capucines

In 1860 Nadar moved to 35 Boulevard des Capucines, where he photographed politicians (Guizot, Proudhon), stage actors (Sarah Bernhardt, Paulus), writers (Hugo, Baudelaire, Sand, Nerval, Gautier, Dumas), painters (Corot, Delacroix, Millet) and musicians (Liszt, Rossini, Offenbach, Verdi, Berlioz). In the studio he eschewed traditional sumptuous decors and unnecessary accessories and preferred natural daylight.