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many old photographs of a man in a military uniforman old photo of a man on a horse with a sworda vintage photo of a group of men playing baseballseveral old books with drawings on them are stacked on top of each othera black and white photo of a group of men working on a construction sitea group of people sitting around a table on a decka black and white photo of a group of people at a construction sitean old photo of a man in a sailor ' s uniforman old photo of a man in a military uniform holding a pipean old photo of a farm in the middle of a fielda black and white photo of a tree in the middle of a streetan old photo of a man and a dog in the desertan old photo of a boat on the wateran old photo of a small town with a clock towera black and white photo of a boat in the wateran old photo of a building with a fire hydrant in front of itan old photo of a boat in a body of wateran old photo of a man and a woman standing in the desertan old photo of a dirt field in the middle of the desertan old photo of a man standing in the dirta sepia photo of a boat docked at a docka black and white photo of dead animals in the desertphotograph of an old photo of a man on a horse in the desertan old photo of a field with a frisbee in itan old photo of a man laying on the groundan old photo of a man laying on the groundan old photo of a train station with a water toweran old photo of a river running through a fieldan old photo of a trench in the middle of the desertan old photo of a trench in the middle of the desertan old photo of a boat on the watera lot of people that are standing in the dirtan old photo of a farm in the middle of a fieldan old photo of a cross in the middle of a fieldan old photo of a group of men posing for a picturean old photo of a village with a tree in the middle of ita black and white photo of a group of people in a fieldan old drawing of a man on a horse with a horse in the backgroundan old paper with a drawing of a boat on it ' s sidea lot of people riding horses in the desertan old photo of a baseball game being playedan old drawing of a man holding a rifle on a piece of paperan old photo of a man in uniform holding a baseball batmen standing around a horse drawn carriage in a fieldthree men in kilts and kilts are standing in front of a buildingdrawing of a man holding a tennis racquet in one hand and a tennis ball in the otherthree men dressed in military uniforms are holding rifles and walkingan old photo of a man in uniform holding a rifleseveral men in uniforms are standing in a line with gunsthree old photos of a man riding a horse on a dirt road
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Estimate €3,000 - €6,000
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Description
[Art] Olivier Pichat (1823–1912), painter and photographer, and the panorama of the Battle of Tel el-Kébir (1883) A collection of over 105 photographic prints, mostly mounted on heavy card, in various sizes and conditions, approx. 22 x 28 cm An extremely rare collection from the studio of a painter-photographer Pichat was first and foremost a painter. These photographs were not finished works, but he used them as tools. Many painters of that era concealed their use of photography so as not to ‘devalue’ their manual skill. The fact that these prints have been preserved offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the industrialised artistic production of the time. Here, the artist uses photography in both a utilitarian and artistic sense, as a ‘database’ of poses. Each photographic plate is a working document, a piece of an immersive jigsaw puzzle aimed at producing the most perfect possible illusion of a realistic panorama – a quasi-cinematic reconstruction based on technical imagery. Olivier Pichat was not merely a painter; he was a ‘director’ using photography as a pre-production tool, exactly as film directors would do a few decades later. The panorama of the Battle of Tel el-Kebir: the secrets behind the making of a lost masterpiece The panorama, unveiled with great fanfare at the Royal Aquarium in Westminster in 1883, consisted of a monumental circular canvas, approximately 120 metres in circumference and nearly 15 metres high. Viewers stood on a raised central platform, surrounded by the painting. The floor between the platform and the canvas was often laid with real sand, debris and authentic props to create a perfect 3D illusion. Pichat chose to depict the most dramatic moment: the final assault at daybreak on 13 September 1882. The Household Cavalry (Life Guards and Blues and Royals) were depicted charging across the desert, sweeping through Urabi Pasha’s defensive lines. To ensure accuracy, Pichat visited the site immediately after the fighting. He took precise notes on the colour of the sand, the layout of the trenches and the exact location of the artillery batteries. His style was characterised by an almost photographic realism, much appreciated by the military of the time, who could recognise their own units in his work. Although he made his first sketches in Egypt at the very site of the battle, Pichat also spent time in England to ensure impeccable historical accuracy, having British officers and soldiers who had actually taken part in the battle pose for him, so as to capture their features, their postures and the exact wear and tear on their field uniforms. This attention to detail greatly contributed to the credibility of his work amongst the British public. Pichat studied the regiments of the Household Cavalry in particular, including the Life Guards and the Royal Horse Guards. It was these regiments that he depicted in the greatest detail during their heroic charges; and the Highlanders, the Scottish regiments, notably the Black Watch (42nd Highlanders), who played a crucial role in the assault on the entrenchments at Tel-el-Kébir. He had the officers and soldiers who had taken part in the charge pose for him in order to capture their features, their postures and the exact wear and tear on their field uniforms. This attention to detail greatly contributed to the credibility of his work in the eyes of the British public. Unpublished Photographs Many of these albumen prints, mounted on heavy card, bear the artist’s red studio stamp ‘OP’. Several pieces feature quick sketches in pencil or charcoal, capturing the line of a shoulder or the curve of a leg. These drawings represent Pichat’s ‘hand’ in dialogue with the photograph. The presence of pigments and paint smudges (blue, ochre, red) on the margins and on the reverse of the photographs bears witness to their physical presence on the scaffolding or easel whilst the monumental fresco was being executed. Some prints feature graphite grids. This technique, visible in the group photographs of Highlanders and artillerymen, was used to project the exact proportions onto a monumental canvas 120 metres long. Each square in the photograph corresponded to a specific section of the panorama. The subjects depicted include both realistic views of the battlefield and the military camp, as well as staged scenes of English and Egyptian soldiers in various poses. All branches of the British Army are represented: the Scottish infantry (Highlanders/Highland Brigade under the overall command of Major-General Sir Archibald Alison, comprising four regiments: the 42nd (Black Watch), commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan Macpherson; the 74th (Highland Light Infantry), commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Abel Straghan; the 75th
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About the sale ARCHIVES, BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS
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Auction time 10/08/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures modified on 09/07/2026 at 3:43 PM
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