Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, “Nadar” (French, 1820-1910)
Nadar was a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, and novelist deeply interested in science and politics. He initially enrolled in medical school, but gave up his studies for journalism. Later, he became a cartoonist that used photography as a tool. Nadar opened his first portrait studio with his brother in 1855 and his first independent studio in 1900.
Nadar also helped to promote artists and art movements that he hoped would gain popularity during his lifetime. He held the first Impressionist exhibition in his studio in 1874, providing a forum for the art of Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Francisco Pizarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. He was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame in 1979.
