Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Impressionist artist Nadar. It dates from 1879 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The work is an 1879 printed portrait of the French actress Sarah Bernhardt.
About this work
This print is a portrait of Sarah Bernhardt made in 1879. The artist, Nadar, was known for his photographs of artists and performers. The image was etched from one of his photos and printed on paper.
It shows Bernhardt wearing a fancy dress with a tall collar and flower details. The print was part of a newspaper article about her career.
Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum for more.
Overview
The work is an 1879 printed portrait of the French actress Sarah Bernhardt. Produced as an etching taken from a photograph by the renowned photographer Nadar, the image was reproduced on paper and circulated within a newspaper article that outlined Bernhardt’s theatrical career.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait captures Bernhardt’s head and shoulders, emphasizing her distinctive costume: a high, upright outer collar, a tightly pleated inner collar, and a bodice adorned with a floral motif and beaded or fabric fringe. The composition foregrounds her theatrical persona, reflecting the public fascination with her stage presence during the late nineteenth century.
Technique & Style
Nadar’s original photograph served as the basis for an etching, a process that translates tonal values into line work on a metal plate before printing onto paper. The resulting image retains the clarity of the photograph while adding the textured quality typical of etchings, highlighting details of the costume and facial expression.
History & Provenance
The print was originally published alongside a newspaper feature on Bernhardt’s career and later entered the Harry Beard Collection, a private assemblage of prints and photographs. It is now catalogued by the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of their holdings on theatrical portraiture.
Artist & collection
Artist
French photographer who made sharp, era-defining portraits in the 1850s–70s. You’ll meet Man on a Horse from the 1860s, a sitter caught mid-gallop against Parisian skies, and the 1856 portrait of composer Gioachino…
