Photography has become an important invention for the study of history. Taking advantage of the new opportunities, travelers, scientists, and artists began to photograph urban architecture, parks, and archaeological sites. Among them was the French painter Edouard-Denis Baldus, who recorded with his camera the aftermath of the devastating flood in France in 1856 and other events and places. However, despite the importance of his work, activities in the field of photography did not bring financial success to Baldus, and towards the end of his life he went bankrupt.
The artist was engaged in painting in the 40s of the XIX century. The earliest known photographs of Baldus were taken in 1851. The commission, whose task was to preserve the architectural monuments of France, attracted the artist to cooperate and ordered a series of photographs. Baldus visited Burgundy, Provence, Dauphine, Lyon and Languedoc, from where he brought his photographs. The customers liked them so much that Baldus received financial support to continue his work, and soon a new cycle called Villes de France Photographiées was released.
In the mid-1950s, the Louvre underwent a renovation of the building, and a photographer was invited to document the new decorative elements that had been added to the building. He filmed Paris and other cities and then made a trip to the Alps. In 1855 Baldus published another series of photographs, this time for Baron James Rothschild. Photos taken in the areas between Paris and Boulogne-sur-Mer have been released in album format. A luxuriously decorated copy was presented to Victoria, Queen of Great Britain.
Baldus often experimented with images. He placed contact prints side by side to create a panoramic effect. Some of the works were huge, the length of one panorama exceeded two meters. In addition, the photographer retouched the negatives to hide images of trees and buildings. Today, collections of photographs by Baldus are kept in museums in France, Canada, the United States, and the largest collection can be seen in the Paris Museum of Fine Arts Orsay (Musée d'Orsay).
