Camille Silvy (1834-1910) enjoyed a major reputation as a photographer in Paris and London in the period 1858-68. He was a photographer of modern life, in the sense introduced by his contemporary, Charles Baudelaire. Silvy's best-known work, 'River Scene, France' (1858), is a tableau of modern leisure - including working class leisure - on the outskirts of town. In addition, Silvy created a series of 'Studies on Light' in London in 1860. These studies of fog and twilight include, arguably, the first use of blur as a creative effect in the history of photography. Silvy redefined still life in a work which includes the Times newspaper and a mass-produced sauce bottle. However, Silvy's modernity was expressed in many other ways. He was highly entrepreneurial: he ran his studio as a portrait factory, experimented with new techniques and pioneered the reproduction of works of art and wartime battlefields.
