Portrait photographer from Societe Jersiaise Photo-Archive
Ernest Baudoux, born in France in 1828, worked in Jersey from 1869. There are 1385 photographs by Baudoux online from the Société’s archive. Most of the images are portraits, which was the photographer’s speciality. Baudoux’s was without a doubt the most prolific Jersey studio. He mainly had clients from the Jersey born and French speaking population.
The portraits Ernest Baudoux captured are great examples of the Victorian art of photographic portraiture. They show the fashion of the time in terms of clothing and hairstyles. The subjects would usually wear their best clothes for the portrait photoshoot. For women in the 1870s and 80s this meant that they would wear long black dresses. It was also common for children and occasionaly adults to be photographed wearing fancy costumes. Wearing a sailor’s outfit was popular for boys at the time. The subjects in the images always appear stern for a reason. They had to hold their pose for a long amount of time, which is why they often had their arms folded and were supported on the back of a chair. Holding a smile was impossible.
Most of Baudoux’s studio portraits were produced with a sliding plate mechanism designed to give two exposures on one glass negative. After he chose the best image he eliminated the rejected image by marking it with a cross. With the preferred image, Baudoux retouched the negative to enhance the complexion of the subject and hide facial blemishes. This shows that the practice of photographic manipulated originated before the digital age.
https://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/Ernest_Baudoux
Image Analysis
This portrait depicts a full body shot of a young woman. She appears to be sitting down on a stool with her arms slightly crossed. Most Victorian portraits have their subjects sitting down on a chair because they had to hold their pose for a long time in order for the picture to be captured. Holding a smile was impossible for a portrait picture in those days, which explains why she has a blank stare and stern appearance. The woman appears to be affluent which is showcased by her fashionable Victorian clothing and hairstyle. The aspect that most captures the viewer’s attention is her long black dress which was popular for women in the 1870’s and 80’s. This dress would probably be her best iteam of clothing since subjects would usually wear their best clothes if they were going to have a portrait taken.
I want to incorporate Ernest Baudoux portrait photography style by capturing photos of the subject in a formal posture. Taking a direct picture of my subject will make him/her look like an important, powerful figure. This formal style will be interesting to capture when the people who experienced the German Occupation in Jersey come over to join our photography class for a studio photoshoot. I will capture upper body and full body shots with the subject sitting on a chair to reflect the Victorian portraiture style.