Napoleon Sarony
Encyclopedia
Napoleon Sarony was an American
lithographer
and photographer
. He was a highly popular and prolific portrait photographer, most known for his portraits of the stars of late-19th-century American theater.
Sarony was born in Quebec
in 1821 and moved to New York City
around 1836. He worked as an illustrator for Currier and Ives
before joining with James Major and starting his own lithography business, Sarony & Major, in 1843. In 1845, James Major was replaced by Henry B. Major in Sarony & Major and it continued operating under that name until 1853. From 1853 to 1857, the firm was known as Sarony and Company, and from 1857 to 1867, as Sarony, Major & Knapp. Sarony left the firm in 1867 and established a photography studio at 37 Union Square
, during a time when celebrity portraiture was a popular fad. Photographers would pay their famous subjects to sit for them, and then retain full rights to sell the pictures. Sarony reportedly paid famed stage actress Sarah Bernhardt
$1,500 to pose for his camera, the equivalent of more than $20,000 .
dedicated his anti-vivisection book Heart and Science to Sarony. In 1884, Sarony was a participant in an April Fool's joke played on Clemens when George Washington Cable
arranged for 150 of Clemens's friends to write to him simultaneously, requesting his autograph. As part of the joke, no stamps or envelopes were to be provided for a reply.
_number_18.jpg)
One of Sarony's portraits of writer Oscar Wilde
became the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case, Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony
111 U.S. 53 (1884), in which the Court upheld the extension of copyright
protection to photographs. Sarony sued Burrow-Giles after it used unauthorized lithographs of Oscar Wilde No. 18 in an advertisement, and won a judgment for $610 (the modern equivalent of just over $12,000) that was affirmed on appeal
by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals
and the Supreme Court. Sarony later photographed the Supreme Court itself, to celebrate the centennial of the federal judiciary in 1890.
, wearing them once before returning them.
His brother, Oliver François Xavier Sarony, was also a portrait photographer who died in 1879. Napoleon's son Otto (1859-1903) continued the family name for few years until his own early death in 1903.
Sarony was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
in Brooklyn
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lithographer
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
and photographer
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. He was a highly popular and prolific portrait photographer, most known for his portraits of the stars of late-19th-century American theater.
Sarony was born in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in 1821 and moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
around 1836. He worked as an illustrator for Currier and Ives
Currier and Ives
Currier and Ives was a successful American printmaking firm headed by Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives . Based in New York City from 1834–1907, the prolific firm produced prints from paintings by fine artists as black and white lithographs that were hand colored...
before joining with James Major and starting his own lithography business, Sarony & Major, in 1843. In 1845, James Major was replaced by Henry B. Major in Sarony & Major and it continued operating under that name until 1853. From 1853 to 1857, the firm was known as Sarony and Company, and from 1857 to 1867, as Sarony, Major & Knapp. Sarony left the firm in 1867 and established a photography studio at 37 Union Square
Union Square (New York City)
Union Square is a public square in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.It is an important and historic intersection, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue – came together in the early 19th century; its name celebrates neither the...
, during a time when celebrity portraiture was a popular fad. Photographers would pay their famous subjects to sit for them, and then retain full rights to sell the pictures. Sarony reportedly paid famed stage actress Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
$1,500 to pose for his camera, the equivalent of more than $20,000 .
Associations
Included among the thousands of people that came into Sarony's world were many distinguished people, such as American Civil War General, William T. Sherman, and American author Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). Sarony would also come to know another famous writer, Oscar Wilde.William T. Sherman
In 1888, Sarony photographed photographed William T. Sherman, three years before he died in 1891. Sarony's photograph would be used as a model for the engraving of the first Sherman Postage stamp.Samuel Clemens; the Lotos, Salmagundi and Tile Clubs
Sarony took numerous photographs of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). Clemens and Sarony were in the same social circles and shared many mutual acquaintances. They both belonged to the Lotos Club in New York City. Sarony helped in the founding of the Salmagundi Club, an association of artists, and was also a member of the Tile Club, whose members included well-known authors and journalists. In 1883, English author Wilkie CollinsWilkie Collins
William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist, playwright, and author of short stories. He was very popular during the Victorian era and wrote 30 novels, more than 60 short stories, 14 plays, and over 100 non-fiction pieces...
dedicated his anti-vivisection book Heart and Science to Sarony. In 1884, Sarony was a participant in an April Fool's joke played on Clemens when George Washington Cable
George Washington Cable
George Washington Cable was an American novelist notable for the realism of his portrayals of Creole life in his native Louisiana. His fiction has been thought to anticipate that of William Faulkner.- Biography:...
arranged for 150 of Clemens's friends to write to him simultaneously, requesting his autograph. As part of the joke, no stamps or envelopes were to be provided for a reply.
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
became the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case, Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony
Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony
Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony, 111 U.S. 53 , was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States that upheld the power of Congress to extend copyright protection to photography.-Background of the case:...
111 U.S. 53 (1884), in which the Court upheld the extension of copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
protection to photographs. Sarony sued Burrow-Giles after it used unauthorized lithographs of Oscar Wilde No. 18 in an advertisement, and won a judgment for $610 (the modern equivalent of just over $12,000) that was affirmed on appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals...
and the Supreme Court. Sarony later photographed the Supreme Court itself, to celebrate the centennial of the federal judiciary in 1890.
Family
Sarony was married twice. His first wife died in 1858; his second, Louie, reportedly shared his tendency towards eccentricity and preference for outlandish dress. She rented elaborate costumes that she wore during her daily afternoon walk through Washington SquareWashington Square Park
Washington Square Park is one of the best-known of New York City's 1,900 public parks. At 9.75 acres , it is a landmark in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village, as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity...
, wearing them once before returning them.
His brother, Oliver François Xavier Sarony, was also a portrait photographer who died in 1879. Napoleon's son Otto (1859-1903) continued the family name for few years until his own early death in 1903.
Sarony was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
External links
- A Biographical Chronology for Napoleon Sarony
- Article and rare pictures of Napoleon Sarony and his subject Mark TwainMark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
- Portrait of Oliver Sarony (1820-1879)
- Twainquotes.com