Napoleon Sarony
| Napoleon Sarony | |
|---|---|
Napoleon Sarony, self-portrait
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| Born |
March 9, 1821 Quebec, Canada |
| Died | November 9, 1896 (aged 75) New York City, New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Photography |
Napoleon Sarony (March 9, 1821 – November 9, 1896) was an American lithographer and photographer. He was a highly popular and great portrait photographer, most known for his portraits of the stars of late-19th-century American theater. His son, Otto Sarony, continued the family business as an accomplished theater and film star photographer.
Sarony was born in Quebec in 1821 and moved to New York City around 1836. He worked as an illustrator for Currier and Ives before joining with James Major and starting his own lithography business, Sarony & Major, in 1843. In 1845, James Major was replaced by Henry B. Major in Sarony & Major and it continued operating under that name until 1853. From 1853 to 1857, the firm was known as Sarony and Company, and from 1857 to 1867, as Sarony, Major & Knapp. Sarony left the firm in 1867 and established a photography studio at 37 Union Square, during a time when celebrity portraiture was a popular fad. Photographers would pay their famous subjects to sit for them, and then retain full rights to sell the pictures. Sarony reportedly paid famed stage actress Sarah Bernhardt $1,500 to pose for his camera, the equivalent of more than $20,000 today[update]. In 1894 he published his portfolio of prints titled, "Sarony's Living Pictures."
Included among the thousands of people that came into Sarony's world were many distinguished people, such as American Civil War General, William T. Sherman, and literary figures Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), Lew Wallace and Oscar Wilde.
In 1888, Sarony photographed William T. Sherman, three years before he died in 1891. Sarony's photograph would be used as a model for the engraving of the first Sherman Postage stamp.
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