Photographie florale et arts décoratifs dans la IIe moitié du XIXe siècle

Abstract

Philippe Forestier : Floral photography and the decorative arts in the second half of the 19th century. Throughout Europe, beginning in 1850, botanical subjects furnished new models for the decorative arts and, from that time, the photography of flowers and plants took on an importance that has been, thus far, undervalued. The photographs of Adolphe Braun or Charles Aubry were the first to be offered for textile design, wall paper and embroidery. Between 1885 and 1900, the photographic albums of Plauszewski, published in Paris, focused attention on the structure of plants. This fitted well with the ideas associated with Art Nouveau, to the extent that Emile Gallé himself photographed plants. This « herbal photography » spread throughout Europe, especially to Berlin, Vienna and London. Hence, botanical photography contributed to the renewal of decorative vocabulary, and based on the exacting study of the forms within nature, it further contributed to a new understanding of the problems of structure, function and the adaptation of ornament.