Cavalry maneuvers, Camp de Châlons

Artist Gustave Le Gray (French, 1820 - 1884)

Date1857

MediumAlbumen print

DimensionsImage and sheet: 10 3/16 × 13 1/8 inches (25.88 × 33.34 cm)

Credit LineGift of the Hall Family Foundation

Object number2017.61.20

Signednone

Inscribednone

Markingsnone

On View

Not on view

Collections

Photography

Terms

DescriptionImage of cavalry gathered along horizon line near right with a few scattered along the left - partially hidden amidst the fog. A flat grassy landscape fills the foreground.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

In this photograph, Gustave Le Gray transforms a routine military maneuver into a haunting landscape. The spare, off-center composition of the soldiers and the image’s hazy atmosphere contribute to the scene’s otherworldly effect.

Gustave Le Gray applied his training as a painter to photography, a medium he adopted in the late 1840s. His career benefitted from several government-sponsored projects, including a commission to photograph the Camp de Châlons, pictured here. Napoleon III established this site east of Paris as a military training camp to showcase the skill of the French Imperial Army.

Provenance

Daniel Wolf, Inc., New York, NY;
with Ezra Mack, New York, NY by 1993;
Purchased from him by Howard Stein (1926-2011) , New York, NY, 1993;
His gift to The Joy of Giving Foundation, New York, NY;
Purchased at their sale The Odyssey of Collecting: Photographs from Joy of Giving Something, Phillips, New York, NY, April 3, 2017, lot 29 by The Hall Family Foundation, Kansas City, MO, 2017;
Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2017.

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.