This photograph was an albumen silver print from a glass negative. It is also different in that it was made from a single negative, and later on Gustave Le Gray would use two negatives for one photograph so that he could get the proper exposure for both the sea and the sky. This photo was among the most famous and widely distributed photographs of the nineteenth century. It was popular in both England and France.
Born in 1820 in the Villers-le-Bel, France Gustave Le Gray was trained as a painter in the studio of Paul DeLaroche. He became recognized as a photographer, as photography was an emerging field at the time. Le Gray established a reputation for himself with portraits, photos of the Fontainebleau Forest, and scenes of Paris. Gustave was also well known for his photography instruction manuals. He became one of the first five photographers to work for the Missions heliographiques, which was a government sponsored commission to document the state of repair of important French monuments and buildings. He also had a studio in France which was known for its lavishness. During the 1850's he taught many French photographers, many who are well-known today. In 1851 he was a founding member of the Societe Heliographique which was the first photography organization in the world. At his studio, Le Gray also offered printing services to other photographers. His studio had many wealthy clients but he ran up a debt with his studio, so between 1856 and 1858 he took more photos of the Fontainebleau Forest. These photos are some of his most famous. Eventually, the money he was making wasn't enough and portrait photography was no longer a venue for him so he closed his studio on February, 1, 1860. Portraits had become easy to mass produce and it wasn't something Le Gray was willing to do. By May of 1860 Le Gray took on a new adventure. Leaving his family behind, he set sail with Alexander Dumas to see famous places. Two months in, there was a conflict between the two and Le Gray was abandoned in Malta. He eventually made his way to Lebanon and then Egypt. He spent the rest of his life in Egypt-never returning to France- working as a drawing tutor to the sons of the pasha and continuing photography.
Gustave Le Gray worked with the paper negative, and developed a wax-paper negative which gave him sharper focused prints. By 1851 he was also using collodion on glass negatives which increased the clarity of his prints further.
As for motivations, Gustave himself said: "It is my deepest wish that photography, instead of falling within the domain of industry, of commerce, will be included among the arts. That is its sole, true place, and it is in that direction that I shall always endeavor to guide it. It is up to the men devoted to its advancement to set this idea firmly in their minds."
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