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Alpine View, Glacier (Savoie)

Bisson Fréres

Artwork Details

Alpine View, Glacier (Savoie)
circa 1860
Bisson Fréres
albumen print on paper
13 7/16 in x 17 13/16 in (34.13 cm x 45.24 cm);22 3/16 in x 28 3/16 in (56.36 cm x 71.6 cm);19 1/4 in x 23 3/4 in (48.89 cm x 60.33 cm)
Museum Purchase made possible by the Friends of the Museum of Art
1989/1.63

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Description

Subject Matter:

Probably taken in 1860 when the brothers Bisson accompanied Napoleon III and the Empress to Chamonix to celebrate the reunion of Savoy with France, this photograph depicts a glacier in the Alps seen from a village at the base of the mountain range. The imposing forms of the mountains dominate the image, dramatically bisecting the composition from the lower left to upper right corner and dwarfing the tiny village houses situated at their base. While the majority of the Bisson Frères' photographs of the Alps depict the ascent of Mont Blanc or the Valley of Chamonix from the mountains, this view was taken from within a village, as evidenced by the roof of a house that appears in the lower right corner of the image.

Physical Description:

Photograph of a glacier in the Alps near Savoie, viewed from a village at the base of the mountains.

Usage Rights:

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