This print reveals both the expressive possibilities and the technical challenges of early photographic reproduction. In processes such as photogravure, artists and printers could alter an image directly on the printing plate—engraving, etching, or painting out areas before the final impression was made. Here, the original photographic background has been removed and replaced with a uniform aquatint. The result is a simplified backdrop that contrasts with the rich detail of the objects in the foreground. While such interventions demonstrate technical skill and artistic control, they also expose a tension at the heart of photography, raising questions about truth and perception. The image becomes difficult to reconcile visually—a hybrid of photography and printmaking that challenges expectations of realism. This dissonance is heightened by the photograph’s shallow depth of field, visible in the textured cloth and softly receding forms, while the manually altered areas remain sharply defined and in focus.

Folio-format catalogue featuring 83 images of objects distributed across 57 plates, contrary to what the title indicates. The plates are described as ‘héliogravures’ (heliogravures) hors texte. Published by M. Giraud, conservateur des musées archéologiques de Lyon. This exhibition was organized under the auspices of charity: the proceeds from admissions would go to the bureau de bienfaisance, and one could see the most beautiful objects from private Lyonnais collections. Limited printing of 500 numbered copies.