Art Photographique: Le Nu & Le Drape en Plein Air

Paris: Ch. Mendel. [1898].

First edition. 280x190mm. pp. 48. Text in French. 28 photographs included in the text and seven plates. Original illustrated paper covers, with some soiling and a tear to the joint with lower cover. Internally near fine. A nice copy of a rare book which explains the techniques of photographing the female form both nude and clothed "en plein air". Paul Bergon (1863-1912) was both a photographer and a naturalist specialising in images of orchids and nudes. The photographs are beautiful, Bergon being an exponent of 'pictorialism', a movement that sought to create more painterly images in photography rather than simply record the moment. The photographs in this volume capture perfectly Bergon's artistic connections between naturism and naturalism.