Les campagnes photographiques de Martens en Suisse et en Savoie

The photographic campaigns of Martens in Switzerland and Savoy. Between 1859 and 1864, under the title La Suisse et la Savoie, the Goupil & Cie publishing house produced a set of lithographic prints based on the photographs of Frédéric Martens (1806-1885). This photographer has been largely forgotten today but during his lifetime he had a considerable reputation. The article studies the aesthetic aspects of these views of the Alps, taken in the perspective of a picturesque tradition going back to the late eighteenth century. Their critical reception by contemporaries is also examined, underlining the ambiguous nature of these images, somewhere between scientific documentation and works of art. The article concludes with an analysis of the relations between photography and lithography at this period, the latter process still being a more reliable and cheaper form of image reproduction.Savale Christophe. Les campagnes photographiques de Martens en Suisse et en Savoie. In: Histoire de l'art, N°25-26, 1994. Varia. pp. 67-77