salt print, inscribed 'Paul Legrand, mime, funambule' in an unidentified hand and 'Epr. 1er tirage probalement unique (U. K.)' by André Jammes in pencil on the reverse, framed, Buhl Collection and Guggenheim Museum exhibition labels on the reverse, circa 1855

The Collection of Michel F. Braive, Paris

The Collection of André Jammes, Paris

Sotheby's London, La Photographie. Collection Marie-Thérèse et André Jammes, 27 October 1999, Sale LO9316, Lot 123, Charles Isaacs, Inc., Malvern, Pennsylvania, agent

New York, Guggenheim Museum, Speaking with Hands: Photographs from The Buhl Collection, June - September 2004, and 4 other international venues through 2007 (see Appendix 1)

Jennifer Blessing, Speaking with Hands: Photographs from The Buhl Collection (Guggenheim Foundation, 2004), pp. 36 and 236 (this print)

Grading this beautiful and delicately rendered salt print on a scale of one to 10 – a 10 being a print with deep near-black dark tones and highlights that retain all of their original detail – this print rates a 10. The image is rendered in an impressive array of slightly reddish brown tones: Legrand's cap is almost black, and the highlights are a creamy white. The handling of the light tones on the subject's clown-white face and his white garments is executed with great care: they appear bright, but still convey, upon close examination, a great amount of detail. The photograph is in very good condition. When examined closely in raking light, a faint crease can be seen in the upper left corner. Close scrutiny of the reverse of the image indicates that skillful repair was made to a tear in the photograph's upper left corner. The photograph is unevenly trimmed, and some chips and losses are intermittently present on the edges and corners.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Charles-Dominique-Martin Legrand, known as Paul Legrand (1816-1898), studied pantomime at Paris’s Théâtre des Funambules under the direction of renowned mime ‘Baptiste’ Deburau.  Legrand inherited the character of Pierrot at the Funambules upon Deburau’s death in 1846, a role he later refined at the fashionable Follies-Nouvelles theater on Boulevard du Temple.  Pierrot the clown, characterized by a white painted face and white billowy blouse and trousers, continually longs for the unrequited love of Columbine.   In pantomime, which precludes dialogue, Legrand conveyed plot, drama, and emotion entirely through facial expression and gestures of the hands and body.  As Pierrot, Legrand re-adopted the neck ruff and a style that was defined by realism and sentimentality, often shedding believable tears of melancholy.  A turn-of-the-century New York Times Article characterized Pierrot as '…always cheerful, animal, licentious, childish, irresponsible.  He is a coward, a baby without a conscience or a sense of responsibility.  He disputes with Harlequin for Isabella or Columbine, and is always worsted in the fight.  Such is the Pierrot of Deburau, and after him of Paul Legrand' (New York Times, 22 August 1897).  Legrand’s popularity as Pierrot was such that he portrayed the character for 40 years on several continents.

The print offered here comes originally from the collection of French photographic scholar and author Michel-Francois Braive.  From Nadar’s granddaughter, Marthe, Braive acquired a collection of Nadar’s photographs and documents in the 1940s.  At the time of this writing, no other prints of this image have been located.