Albert Fernique (1841–1898)

Albert Fernique was born in Paris, France, on 24 December 1841. He began his career as a photographer in the early 1860s, working as an apprentice to the famous photographer Nadar. In 1867, Fernique opened his own studio in Paris, specialising in portrait photography.

In the 1870s, Fernique became interested in photomechanics, a new field that used photography to create printing plates for mass reproduction. He developed a process for making photogravure plates that allowed high-quality reproductions of photographs in books and magazines.

Fernique's photogravure plates were used in a number of important publications, including the French magazine La Nature and the British magazine The Photographic News. He also worked with the French government to produce photogravures of important historical documents and works of art.

In addition to his work in photomechanics, Fernique continued to work as a portrait photographer throughout his career. He was renowned for his elegant and artistic portraits of prominent French personalities, including writers, artists and politicians.

Fernique died in Paris on 13 February 1898. His contributions to the field of photomechanics helped revolutionise the printing industry and paved the way for modern printing techniques.