In his time, Napoleon Sarony was considered one of the world’s greatest portrait photographers. He specialized in portraits of actors, which he mass produced as cheap cartes-de-visite, and other types of cards. Their popularity with the public reflected the new interest in theater and celebrity that emerged in America after the Civil War. Sarony, born in Canada, began his career in New York as a lithographer but, at a time when the art of photography was still very new, went to Europe for training. He established his first studio in New York City in 1866, but in only a few years was able to open a larger studio in the city’s Union Square.
Postcards, such as this image of the actress as Cleopatra, advertised Sarah Bernhardt’s celebrated performances for global audiences. Born Henriette-Rosine Bernard to a Jewish courtesan of Dutch…
Admittedly, it is true that all our hearts will be filled with feelings of astonishment when we recall the giant steps that the new generation has taken upon the peaks of the sciences and forms of…
During the time that Erich Goldberg served on the faculty of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, he produced several silver objects, inspired by Yemenite silver craft. Green stones of…