Background
Napoleon Sarony was born on March 9, 1821, in Quebec, Canada.
Napoleon Sarony was born on March 9, 1821, in Quebec, Canada.
Napoleon Sarony began work as a lithographer in New York City in 1833, then gamed a reputation for his drawings on a stone at Robertson & Co. He founded the firm of Sarony St Major, later known as Sarony, Major St Knapp, and still later as Knapp Lithograph Co. Initially a draftsman, Napoleon Sarony later branched into the production of theatrical posters.
Napoleon Sarony began work as a photographer in his own studio in Birmingham, England, in 1864 and was established as a master with his portrait of the famed actress Adah Isaac Menken as Mazeppa. In 1866 he returned to New York City and opened a photo studio.
Napoleon Sarony was reputed to have posed and photographed 30,000 to 40,000 actors and actresses and 200,000 of the general public, many of whom were famed personalities. Many of his crayon drawings (which were mainly of nudes) were donated to his clubs. Napoleon Sarony primarily did portraits using collodion wet-plate negatives and albumen prints.
"Sarony's Centennial Tableaux", showing a young woman making U.S. Flag on the sewing machine
("Sarony's Centennial Tableaux", showing a young woman mak...)
1876William T. Sherman
(In 1888, Napoleon Sarony photographed William T. Sherman,...)
1888Artist Thomas Moran
(ca. 1890-1896)
Oscar Wilde
1882Oscar Wilde
Joseph Jefferson as Rip Van Winkle
1869Actress Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt as Cleopatra
1891Nikola Tesla
James Huneker
1890A member of the Salmagundi, Kit-Kat and Lotus clubs.
Quotes from others about the person
The New York Times called him "a master in composition, without a rival in the arrangement of subjects and settings."
Napoleon Sarony was married twice. His first wife died in 1858; his second, Louie, reportedly shared his tendency towards eccentricity and preference for an outlandish dress. She rented elaborate costumes that she wore during her daily afternoon walk through Washington Square, wearing them once before returning them.