名称: Saigon GirlSuzhou Courtyard/苏州庭院 
类别: Stereoview/立体照片
日期: 1850
尺寸: 8.5x17cm 


名称: Saigon GirlSuzhou Courtyard/苏州庭院 
类别: Stereoview/立体照片
日期: 1850
尺寸: 8.5x17cm 


Louis Legrand (1820-1876) was a French photographer and is considered the first Western photographer to have verifiably established a photographic studio in Shanghai. He was best known at the time for taking portrait photographs of local Chinese clients, which brought him considerable fame. According to Dr. Régine Thiriez, a French photographic historian, in her 1998 book Barbarian Lens: Western Photographers of the Emperor of China’s Palaces, Legrand arrived in Shanghai in 1856, originally as an employee of the French company Rémy & Schmidt. 

路易·里阁朗（Louis Legrand, 1820-1876） 是首位有确切史料证明在上海开设照相馆的西方摄影师。他以为中国本地人拍摄肖像照片而闻名，一度声名显赫。

Legrand showed a particular fascination with Chinese gardens and rural landscapes. Between 1857 and 1859, he produced a large number of stereoscopic photographs featuring scenic sites in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. These stereoscopic views are among the earliest visual records of China, offering not only aesthetic charm but also valuable documentary evidence of mid-19th century Chinese environments. His works often bear his personal embossed stamp “Legrand” in French, accompanied by descriptive captions, giving them both an authorial mark and historical authenticity. 

From an artistic perspective, Legrand’s photographs reveal an early attempt to merge Western stereoscopic techniques with Chinese cultural landscapes, resulting in images that are at once technical innovations and artistic interpretations. The depth, perspective, and spatial composition of his stereoscopic views introduced a new way of seeing China to both local and foreign audiences, enriching cross-cultural visual history. 

In terms of museum collections, the most significant surviving body of Legrand’s work—76 stereoscopic photographs—is preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) in Paris. These images not only testify to Legrand’s pioneering role in China’s photographic history but also represent rare and invaluable material for researchers studying early Sino-European visual exchanges. 

法国摄影史学家雷吉娜·提里耶兹博士在其1998年出版的《野蛮的镜头：西方摄影师拍摄的乾隆皇帝的西洋宫殿》一书中指出，里阁朗于1856年抵达上海，最初身份是法国雷米和施密特公司雇员。里阁朗尤为钟情于中国园林风光与乡村景色。在1857年至1859年间，他拍摄了大量关于上海、苏州和杭州等地名胜景致的立体照片。这些立体影像不仅具有极高的艺术感染力，同时也是中国最早的影像史料之一。他的作品通常带有法文“Legrand”钢印，并附有法文说明，既具权威性，又为后世研究提供了确凿凭证。

从艺术角度来看，里阁朗的立体摄影尝试将西方的摄影技术与中国的文化景观相融合，形成了兼具技术创新与艺术表现的独特图像。他在画面深度、空间透视及构图上的运用，为东西方观者提供了全新的视觉体验，丰富了中西交流的影像史。

在收藏方面，目前已知数量最大的一组里阁朗作品——共76张立体照片，被珍藏于法国巴黎国家图书馆（BnF）。这些影像不仅彰显了他在中国摄影史上的开创地位，同时也是研究19世纪中西文化交流的珍贵文献。>>返回>>