We were commissioned to reframe this hand painted albumen photographic print. We did a bit of research and found that it dates back to between 1860-1870, and was published by leading art dealers Goupil & Cie. We decided to dig a little deeper to find out more.
Goupil established a worldwide trade in fine art reproductions of paintings and sculptures, with a network of branches and agents in London, Brussels, The Hague, Berlin and Vienna, as well as in New York City and Australia. To feed an emerging middle-class market for inexpensive art, Goupil’s factory outside Paris employed skilled craftsmen to produce engraved, etched, photographic and even sculptural copies of paintings in vast quantities.
Goupil’s reproductions made Jean-Léon Gérôme, in particular, a well known artist. They also promoted via their print reproductions, a significant number of works by Italian painters who worked for the publishing house during the 1870s, including paintings by Alberto Pasini and Francesco Paolo Michetti among others.
Vincent Van Gogh’s uncle (also Vincent Van Gogh), later entered the firm, and the business was expanded to paintings and drawings, and further in 1872 to industrial images, including photographic and héliographic procedures. Through his uncle, “The” Vincent Van Gogh also worked as a clerk at The Hague’s Goupil & Cie branch from 1869 and then the London branch in 1873.
This project was completed to Fine Art Trade Guild Level 1 standard, and featured techniques from the following GCF Advanced modules:
- Conservation Framing
- Mount Design and Function
