Henri Le Secq
Encyclopedia
Henri Jean-Louis Le Secq (18 August 1818 –26 December 1882) was a French
painter
and photographer. After the French government made the daguerreotype
open for public in 1851, Le Secq was one of the five photographers selected to carry out a photographic survey of architecture
(Commission des Monuments Historiques).
is devoted to him. He later started his photographic career under Paul Delaroche.
and later worked with Gustave Le Gray
learning the waxed-paper negative
process. This process had the advantage that it produced negatives
unlike the daguerreotype process. He, along with Hippolyte Bayard
, Edouard Baldus
, Gustave Le Gray
and O Mestral, was sent on Missions Héliographiques
to document famous architectural monuments in France. He worked mainly on cathedrals in Chartres
, Strasbourg
, Reims
and near Paris. Cameras capable of taking large photographs, size of 51 cm by 74 cm, were used. His works during this Commission des Monuments Historiques are considered to be his finest works. In 1851 he became one of the founders of the first photographic organization of the world, unfortunately very short lived, Société héliographique (1851–1853).
s as he was afraid of possible loss due to fading. He gave the reprints dates of the original negatives, some of which are still in good condition.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and photographer. After the French government made the daguerreotype
Daguerreotype
The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process. The image is a direct positive made in the camera on a silvered copper plate....
open for public in 1851, Le Secq was one of the five photographers selected to carry out a photographic survey of architecture
Missions Héliographiques
Prosper Mérimée established the Missions Héliographiques in 1851 to supplement Monument historique a program he had established in 1837 to classify, protect and restore French landmarks. Mérimée, noted author of Carmen, served as France's Inspector General of Historical Monuments, and he hired...
(Commission des Monuments Historiques).
Early life
Henri Le Secq was born in 1818 in Paris and was a son of a politician. He was trained in sculpture and worked in several studios. He was also a collector of wrought iron objects and the Musée le Secq des Tournelles in RouenRouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
is devoted to him. He later started his photographic career under Paul Delaroche.
Middle years
He experimented with various photograph processing techniques together with his colleague Charles NègreCharles Nègre
Charles Nègre was a pioneering photographer born in Grasse, France. He studied under the painters Paul Delaroche, Ingres and Drolling before establishing his own studio at 21 Quai Bourbon on the Île Saint-Louis, Paris. Delaroche encouraged the use of photography as research for painting; Nègre...
and later worked with Gustave Le Gray
Gustave Le Gray
Jean-Baptiste Gustave Le Gray has been called "the most important French photographer of the nineteenth century" because of his technical innovations in the still new medium of photography, his role as the teacher of other noted photographers, and the extraordinary imagination he brought to picture...
learning the waxed-paper negative
Paper negative
The paper negative process consists of using a negative printed on paper to create the final print of a photograph, as opposed to using a modern negative on a film base of cellulose acetate...
process. This process had the advantage that it produced negatives
Negative (photography)
In photography, a negative may refer to three different things, although they are all related.-A negative:Film for 35 mm cameras comes in long narrow strips of chemical-coated plastic or cellulose acetate. As each image is captured by the camera onto the film strip, the film strip advances so that...
unlike the daguerreotype process. He, along with Hippolyte Bayard
Hippolyte Bayard
-Late career:Despite his initial hardships in photography, Bayard continued to be a productive member of the photographic society. He was a founding member of the French Society of Photography...
, Edouard Baldus
Edouard Baldus
Édouard-Denis Baldus was a French landscape, architectural and railway photographer.Baldus was originally trained as a painter and had also worked as a draughtsman and lithographer before switching to photography in 1849...
, Gustave Le Gray
Gustave Le Gray
Jean-Baptiste Gustave Le Gray has been called "the most important French photographer of the nineteenth century" because of his technical innovations in the still new medium of photography, his role as the teacher of other noted photographers, and the extraordinary imagination he brought to picture...
and O Mestral, was sent on Missions Héliographiques
Missions Héliographiques
Prosper Mérimée established the Missions Héliographiques in 1851 to supplement Monument historique a program he had established in 1837 to classify, protect and restore French landmarks. Mérimée, noted author of Carmen, served as France's Inspector General of Historical Monuments, and he hired...
to document famous architectural monuments in France. He worked mainly on cathedrals in Chartres
Chartres
Chartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...
, Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
and near Paris. Cameras capable of taking large photographs, size of 51 cm by 74 cm, were used. His works during this Commission des Monuments Historiques are considered to be his finest works. In 1851 he became one of the founders of the first photographic organization of the world, unfortunately very short lived, Société héliographique (1851–1853).
Later years
He gave up photography after 1856 but continued to paint and collect art. Around 1870 he started reprinting his famous works as cyanotypeCyanotype
Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that gives a cyan-blue print. The process was popular in engineering circles well into the 20th century. The simple and low-cost process enabled them to produce large-scale copies of their work, referred to as blueprints...
s as he was afraid of possible loss due to fading. He gave the reprints dates of the original negatives, some of which are still in good condition.