Louis Desire Blanquart-Evrard Paintings

Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard was a French inventor and photographer, born on August 2, 1802, in Lille, France. He is best known for his significant contributions to the development of photography in the 19th century, particularly through his improvements to photographic printing processes.

Initially trained as a textile manufacturer, Blanquart-Evrard's interest in photography was piqued after learning about the daguerreotype process, which was the first publicly announced photographic process. His scientific curiosity and background in chemistry and textiles led him to experiment with various photographic processes.

In 1850, Blanquart-Evrard introduced the albumen print, a major advancement in photographic printing. This process involved coating paper with albumen (egg white) and then sensitizing it with a solution of silver nitrate. The albumen print provided a clearer, more detailed image and became the dominant form of photographic positives from 1855 to the turn of the 20th century. This process was especially suited for making prints from glass negatives, which were becoming increasingly popular at the time.

Aside from his technical contributions, Blanquart-Evrard recognized the importance of photography as a commercial and artistic medium. He established the first industrial-sized photographic printing establishment, Imprimerie Photographique in Lille, in 1851. This facility was capable of producing photographs in large quantities, which helped to satisfy the growing demand for photographic images and made them more accessible to the public.

Blanquart-Evrard's work laid the groundwork for the mass production of photographs, contributing to the spread of visual culture. He published several influential books on photography, including 'Traité de photographie sur papier' (Treatise on Photography on Paper) in 1851. His advancements not only improved the quality and reproducibility of photographs but also had a profound impact on the documentation of history and the dissemination of images worldwide.

Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard passed away on April 28, 1872, in Lille. His legacy is preserved in the countless images printed using his methods and in the history of photography as a vital innovator who helped transform the medium into a widely practiced art form.