Art & culture
How did cliché-verre join drawing and photography?
Cliché-verre used a hand-drawn or scratched glass negative to expose a photographic print, blending artistic gesture and camera-less copying.
The V&A describes cliché-verre as a photographic print made from a hand-drawn negative. An image could be painted or scratched onto opaque-coated glass, then placed over sensitized paper so light passed through the marks and formed a print.
Drawing directly on the photographic negative
The method gives the artist direct control over the negative rather than asking a camera to record a scene. It sits between drawing, printmaking and photography, showing that photographic authorship can happen before the image reaches paper.
Evidence: Wikipedia article
A photobooth user draws neither the negative nor the final print
A photobooth user draws neither the negative nor the final print; the machine fixes the capture format while the sitter controls pose. Cliché-verre offers a useful contrast between procedural automation and direct mark-making.
Evidence: Wikipedia article
The method gives the artist a way to revise the negative directly
The method gives the artist a way to revise the negative directly, so the finished image carries marks of drawing as well as photographic copying. For a researcher, compare the print with the surviving glass if it exists and record both objects’ histories. The shared word “photographic” does not mean the camera created every part of the image.
Evidence: Wikipedia article
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- Cliché-verre — WikipediaWikipedia article