Eugène Durieu, senior civil servant, photographer and forger
Résumé
Eugène Durieu (1800–1874) is an important figure of the early days of photography in France. His role in the genesis of the Mission héliographique is well established. He was a founding member of the Société héliographique and served as the first president of the Société française de photographie. His collaboration with the painter Eugène Delacroix in 1854 is now well known. His photographs are preserved in public and private collections in France and the United States. Nevertheless, little continues to be known about important aspects of his life. As a jurist, writer, and senior civil servant, he practiced several professions that had no direct connection with photography. He was the father of photographer Auguste Muriel (1829–1877). His reputation was ruined by a trial in the late 1850s, entailing a damnatio memoriae that does nothing to simplify research into his life. This article assesses the current state of our knowledge of this figure and what he reveals about the links between photography, the senior civil service, and the fine arts.