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Portrait of Victor Hugo on Guernsey
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Victor Hugo, a passionate human rights advocate, was a fierce critic of Napoleon III and the Second Empire and had to live in exile from 1851 to 1870. His novel Les Misérables (inspiration for the 1985 musical) focused on the need for social and political change. Edmond Bacot, a fan and family friend of the author, photographed him twice, the first time in 1852 and, at Hugo’s invitation, in 1862 on the island of Guernsey, the year that Les Misérables was published.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit linePortrait of Victor Hugo on Guernsey, 1862. Edmond Bacot (French, 1814–1875). Albumen print from wet collodion negative; image: 16 x 11 cm (6 5/16 x 4 5/16 in.); mounted: 31.7 x 22.3 cm (12 1/2 x 8 3/4 in.); paper: 18.1 x 13.2 cm (7 1/8 x 5 3/16 in.); matted: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 2001.52
