S

1235

SABATIER-BLOT, JEAN-BAPTISTE

(1801–1881)
French painter and photographer

Appearing among the most famous portraitists of the Pa-
risian daguerreotype of the 1840s, Jean-Baptist Sabatier
is still today a poorly known fi gure among the historians
of photography. There was a burst of production, ac-
companied by the absence of sources of fi les relating
to him, and a scarcity of his name in the press, which
make writing on him diffi cult.

He was born on January 31, 1801 in Lassur in Ariège.

His parents wanted an ecclesiastical career for him, but

his fragile health obliged them to withdraw him from

seminary. Afterwards, he developed his artistic talents

and became a miniaturist, located in Paris at 50 Palais

Royal, exhibiting to the Salon on several occasions since

1831 (1835, 1837, 1839, 1841, 1843), always showing

portraits of women. In 1838 he married Miss Blot and in

1839 their only daughter, Maria, was born; throughout

the years of the 1840s, both were his favored models for

daguerreotype portraits.

From the beginning of the 1840s he seemed to become
part of the many painters of miniature attracted by the new
medium of daguerreotype. During this period he became
the pupil of the friend, Daguerre with whom he created
at least two portraits, around 1844 (Rochester, George
Eastman House and Société française de photographie).
It is from 1842 that we fi nd the name “Sabatier-Blot” on
the reverse side of a plate of daguerreotype. The follow-
ing year this name appeared for the fi rst time under the
heading “painter-artist,” with “Palais Royal, 137.” It was
probably then that, assisted by his wife, Sabatier simul-
taneously practiced the two techniques, daguerreotype
and miniature, even if the latter had become less favored.
That year, Sabatier presented miniatures to the Salon for

the last time however, he continued to be presented as “a

painter in miniature, making portraits with the daguerreo-

type” until the 1850s.

Sabatier-Blot presented daguerreotypes at

“l’Exposition publique des Produits de l’Industrie”

(“Public exposition of Products of Industry”) the fol-

lowing year and, according to its publicity, was awarded

an honorable mention. The same year, “Sabatier-Blot”

appeared for the fi rst time with the heading “Daguerreo-

types” and a different address (Palais Royal 163). He

was explicitly mentioned as specialist in portraits.

He seemed to have been one of the most sought

after portraitists of the capital in the second half of the

1840s. His works, abundant and scattered, are diffi cult

to locate in their totality. They reveal a good techni-

cian, famous for perfectly polished plates, which were

obtained using a machine of his own invention. Also

demonstrated is a certain skill of composition which

sometimes distinguished him from his competitors.

Sabatier-Blot had access to the traditional accessories

of the portrait studio of this period such as the pedestal

table covered with a tablecloth or a carpet. The plain

backgrounds made it possible to center the attention on

the character and to cut out its silhouette more signifi -

cantly. Perhaps the naturalness of the poses, often less

stiff than in the majority of the works of this period, is

particularly noticeable in the series of portraits which

he left to his daughter and his wife and can explain the

success of his studio.

At the end of the 1840s, Sabatier-Blot was still lo-

cated at the Palais Royal but at a different addresses:

Palais Royal 137 and Valois 27 (1848) then Palais

Royal 129 (1849–58). The other addresses however

appear on the back of various plates signed with his

name: Palais Royal 43 or Palais Royal 132. In 1849 he

presented portraits at the exposition of the Products of