Pierre Dubreuil

gum print on laid paper, signed, titled, dated, and annotated 'Paris' and 'Photogram 1902' by the photographer in pencil and numbered and with reduction annotations in unidentified hands in pencil on the reverse, tipped to a double mount, matted, framed, 1902

Christie's New York, 10 October 1991, Sale 7330, Lot 159

Acquired by the present owner from the above

London, Royal Photographic Society, London Salon of Photography, 1902

Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Pierre Dubreuil Photographs, 1896-1935, 1967

A. C. R. Carter, ed., Photograms of the Year, 1902 (London, 1902) (this print)

This gum print is on laid paper with a delicate surface texture. The print's dark tones are almost charcoal-like in color and appearance, and the highlights are a very light gray. The print is essentially in excellent condition. When the print is examined closely, light random foxing can be seen on its surface. This does not diminish the lovely appearance of the print in a measurable way. The print is mounted to a slightly larger sheet of dark gray paper, which closely matches the tonality of the print; this mount, in turn, is mounted to another slightly larger piece of buff-colored paper.
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.

According to Pierre Dubreuil authority Tom Jacobson, this print of Portrait of a Painter, one of Dubreuil's earliest successes, is believed to be one of only two prints of the image extant.  Jacobson observes that the notations on the reverse of the print offered here—the title in English in Dubreuil's hand, as well as other markings that Jacobson recognizes as salon judging marks—indicate that the present print is the actual one exhibited at the 1902 London Salon of Photography.  Jacobson notes that the London salons were Dubreuil's premiere venue during this time, and that only his best prints were submitted to that competition.  In his review of the 1902 salon, George Bernard Shaw wrote, 'M. Dubreuil indulges his whim for imitating portraits in oil with unfinished backgrounds to his heart's content, the portraits being so good that the folly must be indulged' (The Amateur Photographer, 'Some Criticisms of the Exhibitions,' 16 October 1902, quoted in Bernard Shaw on Photography, p. 94).

Dubreuil was a master photographic technician, in addition to being one of the most imaginative photographers of his day.  In Portrait of a Painter, Dubreuil used the malleability of the gum process to create a background that looks as if it had been painted with vigorous brushstrokes.  Indeed, it is very likely that Dubreuil did use a brush on the print's surface during processing to direct the adherence of pigment.  His Portrait of a Painter shows the archetypal artist at work: his materials in hand, his eyes intent upon his subject, and wholly consumed with his work.

Jacobson points out that the image offered here is one of the most popular of a series of portraits with sketched backgrounds made by Dubreuil at the turn of the last century.  The study appears in some contemporary publications with the alternative title 'Portrait du peintre David.' The present print was reproduced in 1902 in Photograms of the Year, the British annual of the year's best pictures.  The other extant print of Portrait of a Painter is owned by the FotoMuseum Provincie Antwerpen, Belgium, and was originally part of the archives of the Association Belge de Photographie, an organization for whom Dubreuil served as president for a decade.  It differs from the print offered here in the absence of the curved dark brushstroke at the extreme right of the image, touching the artist's shoulder.

Athough Dubreuil exhibited widely during his lifetime, few examples of his work survive.  On the eve of the Second World War, experiencing financial difficulties and concerned for the safety of his life's work, Dubreuil sold his negatives and many of his prints to the Gavaert photographic company in Belgium.  The Gavaert factory was subsequently bombed during the war, and its holdings of Dubreuil's work were destroyed.