Missions Héliographiques
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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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 Edouard Baldus, Hippolyte Bayard, Gustave Le Gray, Henri Le Secq and O. Mestral. These five photographers photographed various landmarks and monuments around France so that architect Emmanuel Viollet-de-luc could eventually restore them. While the daguerrotype originated in France, Mérimée preferred the calotype, which offered more detailed textures.
While Mestral and Le Gray went southwest from Paris, Le Secq’s itinerary sent him north and east. Bayard, who burdened himself by choosing to work with glass negatives instead of paper, went west, to Britanny and Normandy. Finally, Baldus spent time in the south and east, where he photographed the Palace of Fontainebleau and other landmarks. While several of the photographs remain classic examples of early photography, the results were mediocre at best. Ironically, the photographers’ artistry helped doom the project. Exquisite photos of the decaying buildings portrayed them in a positive manner that did nothing to show the need for restoration.
