Petit, Pierre. Pierre Petit: Photographer, September 26, 1980-January 11, 1981.

George Eastman House, 1980. Wraps, exhibition catalog, 20 pages, with mailing label, very good with some crimps. Biography by Janet E. Buerger. Includes portraits of Emile Littre, Jean-Baptiste Faure, Pierre Joseph Proudhon, Ernest Rehan, August Nelaton, Pierre Antoine Berryer, Charles Francois Daubigny, Robert-Fleury, Ambroise-Firmin Didot, Eugene Delacroix, Thomas Couture, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet, Francis Wey, Gustave Dore, Adele Hugo, Victor Hugo, et al. List of 75 exhibit items, including biographies of sitters. Summary:

ierre Petit: Photographer, September 26, 1980–January 11, 1981 (published by the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House in 1980) is a specialized exhibition catalog documenting the first major American retrospective dedicated to the prominent 19th-century French master. The publication captures a landmark gallery installation that explored Petit's vast contributions to early commercial portraiture, institutional photojournalism, and international expositions during the golden age of the collodion process.

Core Content & Historical Framework

1. The Architecture of Celebrated Portraiture

The monograph examines Petit’s rise as one of the most commercially successful studio photographers in Paris during the Second Empire. It highlights his famous series, Les Contemporains, which featured striking, intimate portraits of the era's leading writers, artists, politicians, and ecclesiastics. The historical text outlines how Petit's classical framing, mastery of natural lighting, and ability to capture psychological depth distinguished his work from the rigid, assembly-line portrait studios of his contemporaries.

2. Official Documentation and Public Infrastructure

A primary focus of the exhibition is Petit’s work as the official photographer for major state and cultural entities. The catalog details his extensive commissions, tracking how his camera recorded monumental shifts in French infrastructure and technology:

• The 1867 Paris Universal Exposition: His role as the exclusive documentarian of the fair, capturing the grand pavilions and global innovations.

• The Construction of the Statue of Liberty: Rare, historic images documenting the step-by-step fabrication of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi’s masterpiece in its Parisian workshop before its shipment to America.

• Institutional Reports: His extensive work for the French Ministry of Public Works, recording the expansion of early railroad networks and civic structures.

3. Technical Mastery and Technological Transition

The catalog provides deep insight into Petit's technical adaptability as the medium evolved. It charts his sophisticated handling of the volatile wet-plate collodion process, his mastery of large-format albumen printing, and his early adoption of carbon printing to ensure the permanence of his historical records. The curation emphasizes how his technical precision allowed him to maintain an expansive, multi-branch studio operation while upholding the highest aesthetic and material standards of the period.

This 1980 George Eastman House publication remains a vital scholarly resource for the study of 19th-century European photography. By unifying Pierre Petit's artistic portraits with his monumental industrial documentation, the catalog validates his dual legacy as an elite visual tastemaker and an indispensable archivist of France's imperial modernization.