Mr. Leroux in the Role of Alceste in Le Misanthrope (mid-1850s): Art, History and Details

Mr. Leroux in the Role of Alceste in Le Misanthrope (mid-1850s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Julien Vallou de Villeneuve (French, 1795–1866).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Leroux was a star of the Comédie-Française, the most important theater in France. He is seen here around age 35 as the lead in Molière’s play The Misanthrope, a classic 17th-century play that satirizes the character flaws of the French aristocracy. As in the portrait of Bernhardt nearby, subtle aspects of pose, expression, and costuming create the character. Vallou de Villeneuve began his career as a painter and lithographer, then established himself in photography specializing in nude studies for artists, genre subjects, and portraits of actors. His prints are generally small and meant for viewing in an album rather than displaying on a wall. This portrait probably came from a theater lover’s album of French actors.

Object facts

• Title: Mr. Leroux in the Role of Alceste in Le Misanthrope
• Date: mid-1850s
• Creator attribution: Julien Vallou de Villeneuve (French, 1795–1866)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Photograph
• Technique: albumen print from wax paper negative
• Dimensions: Image: 14.4 x 12.1 cm (5 11/16 x 4 3/4 in.); Matted: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14 in.)
• Collection: Photography
• Department: Photography
• Accession number: 1997.42

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.