André Disdéri

Supriya Joshi introduces you to the life and work of André-Adolphe Eugène Disdéri, the pioneer of commercial photography.

- Supriya Joshi

André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri died in a public hospital in Nice, France on 4 October, 1889. He died as a destitute, another unknown face on a hospital bed. And with him passed away a former wealthy innovator and the frontier of a whole new kind of image making.

Early Life

Photography had taken the world by storm during the 1800s, and the daguerreotype was the most popular medium to make images. Disdéri had dedicated his life to painting and the theater, and an inclination towards photography was inevitable.

In 1847, he turned to photography full time, and began his career as a daguerreotypist in Brest, France.

The Business of Photography

Making daguerreotypes was a long and tedious process. Moreover, Disdéri realised the need for mass producing images, specifically for the French bourgeoisie, who were keen to have their portraits made. It was these incidents which sparked off an idea, which would be the beginning of his very profitable career.

Moving Studios and Innovations