Julien Vallou De Villeneuve 1795-1866

He exhibited his tableaux and lithographs at the Salons from 1824-1849. His publications are noted as far back as 1820 in the provinces of France. Villeneuve was most inclined towards the costumes of different countries, nude women, genre scenes and he was a member of the Association of artists and painters, sculptures, architects, gravures and illustrators since its foundation in 1844. He began photographing in 1851 and his calotypes were subscribed to by Lemercier from 1852. He photographed much the same things as the subjects of his lithographs: genre scenes, women in costumes, and nudes. His subjects are treated very artistically and several of his nudes are particularly provocative as he shared one of his models with Gustave Courbet: Henriette Beonnion. His brother, Theodore Ferdinand Vallou de Villeneuve, member of the societe des genres et de lettres was an expert vaudeville artist: a connection which resulted in 122 prints between 1822-1854 and a collaboration which explains his series of portraits of actors from the Comedie Francaise which he did in 1853. After 1855 there is no trace of his photographic history. In 1858, he was the sole inheritor of his brother's estate and at his own death he bequeathed all his paintings and negatives, gravures, lithographs, and prints to Auguste Cabanne.