- This pioneering study offers detailed analysis of the impact of photographys birth on the classical art form of painting. Photography divided opinion in its early years; some saw it as an invaluable tool in the enhancement of artistic reproductions, while many believed it to be too mechanical to be associated with the grand concept of Art. Covering portraiture, landscapes, nudes, tableaux vivants, and still lifes, this richly-illustrated volume showcases some of the earliest photographic works alongside paintings that challenged, resisted, or were influenced by the emergence of photography in the first half of the nineteenth century. Author Dominique de Font-Reaulx examines the birth of photography in this period, its first forays into the public domain, and the organizations set up to preserve and defend it against a raft of criticism. The influence of figures such as Daguerre (creator of the daguerreotype, and originally a painter himself), Niepce, and Hippolyte Bayard is charted, as the idea of accurately replicating images seen by the human eye gradually became a very real possibility. Imperfections, for so long erased by painters seeking to capture an idealized version of the body, were laid bare by an invention that captured even the minutest details. Featuring an engaging text accompanied by a rich selection of illustrations, Painting and Photography explores not only photographys fight for recognition, but its impact on painters of the day, challenging them to devise new ways of capturing the human form.