Photo-Sensible

Historic glass negatives and contemporary photography in dialogue. In the age of digitally generated images, analogue methods of depicting and capturing objects, events, and impressions hold a powerful, sometimes nostalgic appeal. These thousands of glass negatives by photographer André Schmid (1836 1914), who ran the first commercial photography studio in the Swiss city of Lausanne, constitute a fascinating legacy. His images offer insights into late 19th and early 20th-century society and its norms. With their raw, artisanal expressiveness and a materiality highlighted by traces of wear, Schmid's glass negatives unfold as a unique aesthetic that combines realism, transience, and poetry. Photo-sensible offers insights into André Schmid's estate held at the Musée Historique Lausanne, with many of his images published in this book for the first time ever. This window into the past is juxtaposed with works by contemporary photographic artists Léonore Baud and Olivier Jeannin, as well as graduates of the photography class at the École cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ECAL), which highlight the sensual power of André Schmid's historic images. Text in French. AUTHOR: Through its exhibitions, the Musée Historique Lausanne explores the many facets of the city's cultural heritage. Its extensive collections document cultural, economic, social, and political aspects of Lausanne's history. SELLING POINTS: . A fascinating engagement by contemporary photographers with the artisanal expressiveness and raw materiality of historic glass negatives . The first book featuring work by photographer Swiss André Schmid (1836 1914), who ran one of the country's first commercial photography studios . Exhibition: Photo-sensible: André Schmid, Léonore Baud, Olivier Jeannin at the Musée Historique Lausanne (September 10, 2026, to March 14, 2027) 27 colour, 81 b/w illustrations