Bayard, Devant sa Maison Possibly 1842 - 1965

Hippolyte Bayard made this photograph, ‘Bayard in front of his house’, using the direct positive process that he himself invented. Bayard staged a portrait of himself as a corpse, a drowning victim, in protest against the French Academy of Science, which promoted Daguerre's photography and marginalized his own invention. The image critiques the institutions of art at that time. Bayard self-consciously challenged the academy of science who he felt failed to recognise his artistic contribution. The photograph's commentary on the social structure of its time can be better understood by examining 19th-century French art criticism and considering his important contribution to photography. The photograph serves as a potent reminder that art’s meaning is contingent on its social and institutional context.