Oscar Gustav Rejlander

Oscar Gustav Rejlander was a pioneering Victorian photographer and a seminal figure in establishing photography as a legitimate fine art form. Originally trained as a painter in Rome and London, he transitioned to photography in the 1850s, mastering complex techniques like combination printing to create elaborate narrative works. His most famous photograph, The Two Ways of Life, caused a sensation for its artistic ambition and technical virtuosity, influencing contemporaries like Henry Peach Robinson and earning the admiration of Queen Victoria. Rejlander's experiments with photomontage, portrait photography, and studies of human expression left a profound legacy on both artistic and scientific photography.

Early life and background

Oscar Gustav Rejlander was born around 1813 in Stockholm, Sweden, though details of his early family life remain obscure. He initially pursued a career in the arts, studying painting and classical art in Rome during the 1830s before settling in England, first in Lincoln and later in Wolverhampton. In these industrial Midlands towns, he worked as a portrait painter and copyist, reproducing works by Old Masters such as Raphael and Rembrandt. This traditional artistic training, grounded in the compositional and narrative techniques of Renaissance art, would fundamentally shape his later photographic approach. His move to the burgeoning city of London in the early 1850s placed him at the center of the period's artistic and technological ferment.

Photography career and techniques

Rejlander's photographic career began in earnest after he learned the wet-collodion process around 1853, quickly abandoning painting to focus on the new medium. He established a studio in Wolverhampton and became renowned for his technical innovation, most notably his mastery of combination printing. This laborious process involved meticulously combining multiple glass plate negatives into a single seamless print, allowing him to construct complex, multi-figure allegorical scenes impossible to capture in one exposure. He also produced a vast array of genre studies, portraits, and, significantly, detailed studies of facial expressions and human emotion for scientific circles. His technical articles were published in the British Journal of Photography, and he collaborated with scientists like Charles Darwin, who used Rejlander's photographs in his work The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.

Major works and artistic contributions

Rejlander's magnum opus is unquestionably the large allegorical photograph The Two Ways of Life, first exhibited in 1857 at the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition. Composed from over 30 separate negatives, it depicts a sage guiding two youths toward paths of virtue and vice, styled after Renaissance frescoes. The work was controversial for its inclusion of nude figures but was championed by Prince Albert and purchased by Queen Victoria, cementing photography's artistic potential. Other significant works include the poignant narrative Poor Jo, the humorous Head of John the Baptist in a Charger, and his expressive series The Seven Expressions. His portraits of notable figures, such as Charles Dickens and Alfred, Lord Tennyson, were also highly regarded for their psychological depth.

Influence and legacy

Rejlander's influence on Victorian photography was profound and multifaceted. He directly inspired the next generation of art photographers, most notably Henry Peach Robinson, who adopted and promoted combination printing. His advocacy for photography as a creative art form helped shift its perception from a mere mechanical process, influencing institutions like the Royal Photographic Society. Furthermore, his collaboration with Charles Darwin created an important bridge between art and science, using photography for empirical study. His techniques prefigured later developments in photomontage and composite photography, influencing 20th-century artists. Key collections of his work are held at the Royal Photographic Society Collection (now at the Victoria and Albert Museum) and the National Media Museum in Bradford.

Personal life and later years

In 1862, Rejlander married Mary Bull, who often assisted him as a model and in his studio work. Despite royal patronage and professional acclaim, he struggled financially for much of his career, as his elaborate artistic productions were costly and time-intensive. He moved his studio to London in 1862, operating at various addresses including on Malden Road in Camden Town. In his later years, he focused more on portraiture and expression studies to secure a steadier income. Plagued by ill health and financial difficulties, Oscar Gustav Rejlander died on 18 January 1875 at his home in London and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. His wife survived him, and his extensive collection of negatives and equipment was auctioned, dispersing his life's work.

Category:Swedish photographers Category:1810s births Category:1875 deaths