A fascinating portrait made by the Paris photographer J. Destréguil for the Musée Grévin. The museum was founded in 1882 by Arthur Meyer, a journalist for Le Gaulois, on the model of Madame Tussauds founded in London in 1835, and named for its first artistic director, caricaturist Alfred Grévin. It is one of the oldest wax museums in Europe. Interesting detail: the tableau of Charlotte Corday murdering Jean-Paul Marat created in 1889 includes the actual knife and bathtub used.

This portrait on albumen paper could be a study for a wax model. The man is dressed as a kitchen chef. He poses against a typical 19th century headrest in an improvised studio. Holding his head against a book and holding a pencil in his left hand.

On the verso of the original mount the photographer's address is printed, together with the address of the Musée Gravin. Destréguil started his photographic activities in 1881 at 53, rue des Martyrs in Paris.

ca. 22 x 16,2 cm