Have you ever wondered how that cute mini 3D printed figurine of yourself gets made? The origins of scanning real-life objects to print their replica models in three dimensions can be traced back over 150 years to a Paris artist-inventor named François Willème and his grandly ambitious photosculpture technique.
Who Was François Willème?
Born in 1830 in Sedan, France, François Willème moved to Paris as a young man to study painting under famed historical portraitist H.F.E. Philippoteaux. He soon expanded into sculpture, modelling works for high-end art manufacturers. By the 1850s, Willème had picked up photography as well, using the new medium to document his statuettes. These artistic interests would collide in Willème’s next daring venture.
Inventing the Photosculpture
In 1859, after months of experimentation, Willème unveiled “photosculpture” – a method of utilising photography to rapid-prototype three-dimensional portraits. Rather than sculpting directly from a live subject, Willème surrounded them with 24 angled cameras to capture their silhouette from all sides. He then transformed these 2D photographic profiles into a 3D sculpture through some ingenious innovations.
Inside Willème’s Grand Paris Studio
Eager to launch his invention on a grand stage, Willème constructed an expansive new studio near the Arc de Triomphe in 1863, funded by investors like the wealthy Péreire family of bankers. The cathedral-like space boasted a 40-foot wide rotunda with a retractable glass ceiling for optimal lighting. This would be the workshop where Willème crafted his photo-based sculptures for an increasingly eager public.
How Photosculpture Worked
The photosculpture technique involved multiple complex steps:
Image Capture – The subject would stand on a revolving platform ringed by 24 cameras at 15-degree intervals to photograph simultaneous profile silhouette views.
Projection – Willème projected each of the 24 photographic profiles onto a screen in succession.
Carving – Using an attached pantograph, Willème hand-traced the outline of each projected image to control a cutting apparatus in the same movement, carving the profiles from layered wood or plaster.
Assembly – The carved profiles were assembled together into a complete 3-dimensional sculpture of the subject. Artists then covered the model with clay for smoothing and paint for realism.
Delivery – Just 2 to 4 days later, clients could pick up their very own detailed miniature replica sculpture of themselves!
| Comparison | Traditional Sculpting | Photosculpture |
|---|---|---|
| Creation Time | Months | Days |
| Cost | High | Low |
| Replication Complexity | Hard | Easy |
| Customisation Options | Limited | Extensive |
Table data sourced from the International Journal of Heritage in the Digital Era.
Photosculpture Takes Paris by Storm
When Willème’s new studio opened its doors, curious crowds flooded in – including nobility, artists like Corot and Courbet, fashionable women of high Paris society, and even Emperor Napoleon III himself. The Imperial court commissioned busts and statues of themselves posing in their latest outfits through the novel photo-based sculpture technique.
Photosculpture made portraiture more accessible than ever. Subjects enjoyed significant choices in size, pose, finishing and features of their custom statuette, created in days rather than months. The influential Le Monde declared photosculpture “sculptural portraiture of great boldness and admirable likeness”. By 1866 copycat photosculpture studios popped up in London and New York, sparking an international craze.
Quick Rise and Fall of Popularity
Willème rode the wave of success as photosculpture’s popularity skyrocketed from 1863 to 1867. He exhibited to acclaim at the Paris Exposition Universelle, honing the technology’s precision. However, when early adopters moved onto the next fad, public interest rapidly cooled by 1868.
Running an expensive, expansive studio exceeded budget – Louis Philippe’s extravagant commissions didn’t help! The limits of manual process also failed to satisfy elite patrons. Facing financial blowback, Willème retreated home to Sedan, brewing new ideas while teaching and practising smaller-scale sculptures.
Lasting Influence on 3D Modelling Innovation
Willème’s photosculpture mania did not fade into total obscurity. In the early 1900s, engineer Carlo Baese developed a chemical method using photosensitive gelatin to create topological “3D maps” automatically. Later digital computing unlocked technologies like 3D scanners and printers that finally realised Willème’s vision of reproducing sculpture via visual data input.
Although Willème’s business did not survive, his daring experiment presaged 3D modeling and bio-printing now expanding new creative horizons. That custom bobblehead wouldn’t be possible without innovators like Willème literally carving the way for reproducing people in the round 150 years ago! The creativity that brought exact-likeness photosculptures into reality will continue opening radical futures.
