A Heliographer in his Studio (The Banknote Counterfeiter), 1876
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions without frame187,2 × 170,5 cm
Dimensions with frame198 × 180 × 8 cm
About the workThe Düsseldorf-trained painter Ernst te Peerdt shows the chaotic studio of a photographer, also known as a heliographer at the time. The camera lies on a partition wall. Duplicated securities are drying on strings; they have earned the painting the additional title "The Banknote Forger". In 1899, Te Peerdt wrote an essay on the representation of time in the visual arts and declared it superior to photography in this respect. With this painting, he may be criticising photography as a purely depictive medium. At the time of creation, it was not yet recognised as an art form.
AccessionAcquisition 1917
Provenance[...]; 1917 erworben durch den Museumsverein von der Galerie Felchtheim, Düsseldorf
Inventory numberM 4197
