It was in Frankfurt, at the home of the painter Victor Müller, that Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) met Etienne Carjat in 1859. Carjat earned his living by sketching tourists in Baden-Baden, and Courbet taught in Frankfurt. The two men got on well very quickly and a keen friendship developed between them. Courbet enjoyed being photographed by Carjat in different poses and costumes, ranging from a bourgeois gentleman in a frock coat to an artist at work. More than ten portraits like this were taken during the 1860s, which highlights Courbet’s interest in his own image.

Here Carjat photographed him when he was painting his last large-format work titled The Kill of the Deer, and which caused a scandal. The hunting scene, worthy of a historical painting, is still only in sketch form, but is already disturbing. With the deer still in its death throes, the painter seems to be staring at the animal rather than painting it.

S. G. C.