Artist Profile: O.G. Rejlander

Oscar G. Rejlander (1813–1875) was born in Stockholm, but he lived most of his life in England. Below is a self-portrait executed in a signature technique of combination printing, where two or more pictures are superimposed on one another.

Rejlander started off as a painter, but he became fascinated by the way fabric folds looked in photos, so he switched to photography.

Some of the artist's works have religious connotations, like this study of the curious little angels from the Sistine Madonna you likely recognize.

Rejlander is most famous for his intricate portraits of famous people, but he was also fascinated by people off the streets, and much of his studio work is dedicated to different social themes.

Imagined and fantastic themes were also a common theme for the artist. This image of a man dreaming, for example, is famous for inspiring the Surrealism movement.

Definitely one of his most famous and complex works is "The Two Ways of Life" seen below. In this image, 32 photos were seamlessly combined into one, which reportedly took about 6 weeks to accomplish. The image is a moral observation that juxtaposes youths engaging in sinful activities and those who do virtuous things.

Many of the artist's works are deeply metaphorical and symbolic, which elevated photography to artistry even in the Victorian era.

This study of facial expressions that features the photographer and his wife can be taken somewhat humorously, but it was actually part of the famous book by Charles Darwin and Rejlander called "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals", which is why both psychologists, biologists, and art fans recognize the photographer's name even today.

One of the most famous features of the artist is his ability to catch the people he photographed "in the moment", which makes them appear alive, expressive and almost in motion on many of his photos. This technique, like many others used by Rejlander, is used to this day.

This is another example of his more religious studies. These types of works were often used as drawing aids for painters, that would help them capture the details more precisely.

Another technique called the "tunnel studio" built and invented by the photographer himself helped him achieve greater depth and more precise expressions in his portraits.

Rejlander was also friends with many outstanding historical figures, such as Charles Darwin and Lewis Carroll.

Many of the techniques and ideas Rejlander used in the distant 19th century are widely used to this day, even though most people have moved on to digital photography.

In fact, many of his portraits have a very "modern" feel to them, even though they were taken 150 years ago. Just look at the portraits below.

In lieu of all of these achievements and extreme dedication to his craft, to this day, we remember O.G. Rejlander as the father of fine art photography.