Landschap in Frankrijk 1855 - 1885

Hippolyte-Auguste Collard captured this landscape in France with photography, a relatively new medium at the time, somewhere between 1811 and 1887. This image resonates with the artistic and cultural shifts of 19th-century France, marked by industrialization and a renewed interest in the natural world. Collard, working against a backdrop of rapid urban development, directs our gaze towards the untouched landscapes of France. We are invited to consider our relationship with the land and the sense of identity it fosters. This photograph offers a vision of nature, untouched by human intervention. The act of photographing a landscape can be understood as an assertion of identity, a declaration of belonging. Collard, as a French artist, was not only capturing an image but also staking a claim to the land as a part of his cultural and personal narrative.