Charles Soulier

Charles Soulier French, 1840-1875 Charles Soulier operated in partnerships, first with A. Clouzard (1854-59) and later with Claude-Marie Ferrier and his son A. Ferrier (1860-64). Soulier was among the first to take naturalistic, snapshot-like views of Paris. His city street scenes were represented in an extensive set of glass stereographs, a medium preferred by Soulier for the delicacy of its reproductive range. Panoramas of the city were considered his specialty. In 1859 Soulier photographed Napoléon III on his campaign in Austria; he was later named photographer to the emperor. He became a member of the Société française de photographie in 1867 and in 1871 documented activities of the Paris Commune. His work includes topographical, urban, and landscape views, among them images of Mt. Blanc and other European scenery, as well as photographic reproductions of artwork. T.W.F.