Gustave Le Gray 1854 Alphonse Delaunay French Gustave Le Gray, the central figure in French photography in the1850s, was famed not only for his sylvan studies in FontainebleauForest and his dramatic seascapes but also for his technicalinnovation and photographic instruction. At his studio near theBarrière de Clichy in Paris he taught more than fifty photographerstheir art; among them were some, including Roger Fenton, who arenow considered part of the pantheon, and others, such as AlphonseDe Launay, who were nearly lost to history. In this remarkably spontaneous and expressive portrait, Le Graysprotégé perfectly captured both the ease of a master enjoying hissuccess and the cockiness of the man who, six years later, would fleehis creditors, abandon his wife and children, sail the Mediterraneanwith Alexandre Dumas, and end his days in Egypt as tutor to thePashas sons. Some credit must also go to Le Gray, whose activeparticipation—perhaps even directing his pupil—accounts for muchof th