Portret van Alfred Grévin before 1876

This is a photographic portrait of Alfred Grévin, captured by Chambey in January 1882. Grévin, a renowned caricaturist, is presented here not through the exaggerations of his own art, but in the direct gaze of the camera. What does it mean to see a caricaturist, a person who makes a living by distorting features, represented with such apparent realism? The photograph offers a glimpse into the social and cultural status of artists in late 19th-century France. Grévin wears the attire of a bourgeois gentleman, a statement of his professional standing. The portrait avoids the stereotype of the artist as a bohemian outsider. Instead, it situates Grévin within the establishment. We might consider this in relation to the growth of celebrity culture at the time, where photography played a key role in shaping public perceptions of prominent figures. Consider how photography, then a relatively new medium, was used to negotiate identity and project particular images of the self. It reflects the complex interplay between art, identity, and social status in the rapidly changing world of late 19th-century Paris.