Musée d'Orsay Acquires Rare Nadar Portrait of Alexandre Dumas père
The Facts
The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has acquired a rare salted paper print portrait of writer Alexandre Dumas père by the pioneering French photographer Nadar. The photograph, taken between 1854 and 1860, depicts Dumas in a half-length, frontal pose with a slight smile. The acquisition was made in 1991 with the support of the Fonds du Patrimoine, and the print is now part of the museum's collection under accession number PHO 1991 2 81. The work measures 23.2 by 18.6 centimeters and was previously in the collection of Marie-Thérèse and André Jammes.
The Signal
This acquisition underscores the Musée d'Orsay's sustained commitment to building its holdings of early photography, particularly the work of Nadar, who was a central figure in 19th-century portraiture. For collectors and curators, this rare print—long held in a distinguished private collection—represents both historical importance and market scarcity. The image joins the museum's extensive Nadar archive, which includes portraits of many leading cultural figures of the era, reinforcing the Orsay's status as a key destination for the study of early photographic portraiture.
- Artists: Nadar
- People: Alexandre Dumas père, Marie-Thérèse Jammes, André Jammes
- Museums: Musée d'Orsay
- Locations: Paris
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