401
edition with a historical introduction by Jean-Pierre Halévy,
Paris: Editions de Fallois, 1995; translated as My Friend
Degas, Mina Curtiss, trans. and ed., Middletown, Conn.:
Wesleyan University Press, 1964.
Heilbrun, Françoise, “Sur les photographies de Degas” in Degas
inédit. Actes du Colloque Degas, Musée d’Orsay 18–21 avril
1988, Paris: Documentation française, 1989, 159–80.
Janis, Eugenia Parry, “Edgar Degas’ Photographic Theater” in
Maurice Guillaud, ed. Degas: Form and Space, Paris: Centre
Culturel du Marais, 1984, 451–86 (exhibition catalogue).
Loyrette, Henri, “Portrait d’amis sur la scène: Degas et Ludovic
Halévy” in Entre le théâtre et l’histoire: La famille Halévy
(1760–1960), Henri Loyrette, ed., Paris: Librairie Arthème
Fayard / Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1996, 178–96
(exhibition catalogue).
Newhall, Beaumont, “Degas: Amateur Photographer, Eight Un-
published Letters by the Famous Painter Written on a Photo-
graphic Vacation,” Image 5, no. 6 (June 1956), 124–26.
Pickvance, Ronald, “Degas as a Photographer,” Lithopion 1
(1970), 72–79.
Terrasse, Antoine, Degas et la photographie, Paris: Denoël,
1983.
Varnedoe, Kirk, “The Ideology of Time: Degas and Photography,”
Art in America 68, no. 6 (Summer 1980), 96–110.
DELABORDE, HENRI (1811–1899)
French photographer
Delaborde was born in a wealthy family, which gave
him the title of count. He studied human sciences at the
university. His parents hoped their son would work as
lawyer, but he ended up in the artistic sector.
He met Paul Delaroche in 1829, and spent a lot of
time in his studio to study classicism. During the years
1834, 1839n and from 1842 until 1845, he travelled to
Italy. He made these trips to enrich his knowledge. Yet,
he didn’t participate in the Prix de Rome. During these
years he studied the paintings of the Renaissance and
made drawings and aquarelles. It was his intention to
print and to publish all his work. Some unhappy events
occurred in his life, so only the fi rst publication from
the series was realized.
In 1836, when he was 25 years old, he had his fi rst
show in Le Salon with a painting Agar dans le desert.
In the painting one can see the infl uence of his master
Delaroche but also his admiration and adoration for
Ingres and for the Italian Masters of the Renaissance
and especially for Raphaël. Delaborde offered this
painting to the Musée de Dijon after an exhibition there
in 1840.
Delaborde had several distinctions and the French
State gave him many commitments. Quite often, he
participated at shows in Le Salon. In 1850 he became
ill and the physicians forbid him to remain in a stand-
ing position.
So he had to quit painting and his friends encour-
aged him to start a career as an art critic. This was
something new in the art world. The work of an art
critic was connected with writers. It was a progressive
statement as a former artist to work as a writer in the
fi eld of art. He did this until the end of his life. His
critics still consider his writings as important because
of his audacity, fi rmness and acuteness. He published
mostly in Revue des deux mondes in which Delacroix
also contributed.
Delabordes’ passion went out to gravures and that
was the basis of a 30 yearlong job as Chief Conservator
of the Cabinet des Estampes in the Bibliothèque Natio-
nale in Paris. He was responsible for the purchase of lots
of photographic art reproductions as reference material.
This position and involvement in the archives gave him
also the challenge to work as art historian. Topics he
studied were Italian Art and especially from Giotto to
Perugino. He became the reference as a historian in
the world of gravures and lithography. Even today his
work on Marc-Antoine Raimondi is remarkable. He
defi ned art criticism as a judgment that presupposes
interpretation, and interpretation presupposes descrip-
tion. The critic needed an understanding—hopefully a
defensible and convincing understanding—of what an
art work is about before judging it. He explained that
criticism was too frequently confused with negative
value judgments because of its everyday connota-
tions. The term criticism in the language of aesthetics
encompasses much more. He wrote that the purpose
of the aesthetics of art history and art in general is to
teach how to judge and to appreciate art works and to
provide a context for expressing this judgment verbally
on the basis of a sound argumentation. So he did. In
1866 his most important writings were published in
Mélanges sur l’art contemporain. In 1868 he became
secretary of the Academy of Science and Art in Paris
and kept this position for 24 years. His writings are an
enormous source for academic research of the history
of art in the 19th century.
In 1898 he ended his activities; he died when he was
88 years old in 1899.
Johan SwinnenSee also: France; Delaroche, Paul; Delacroix,
Ferdinand Victor Eugène; and Criticism.Further Reading
Asser, S., ‘Rembrandt in fotografi sche staat,’ Bulletin van het
Rijksmuseum, jaargang 48, nummer 3, Amsterdam, 2000,
170–199.
Sandoz, M., Le vicomte Henri Delaborde peintre d’histoire,
Bulletin de la Société de l’Histoire de l’Art Français, Paris,
1968, 135–148.
Turner, J. (ed.), Dictionary of Art, vol. 8; London, MacMillan,
1996.