Jenna Pasternak 

Gustave Le Gray was born in 1820 in Villiers-le-Bel, France.

Le Gray was a student of the painter Paul Delaroche, and began to experiment with photography in 1847.

He was among the first of the French painters to recognize the potential of the calotype- A process in which negatives were made using paper coated with silver iodide and a chemical developing process.

Le Gray trained a number of the most significant photographers of the time, including Olympe Aguado, Maxime Du Camp, and Henri Le Secq.

His most renowned images are views of the sea and landscapes with trees, in which he often achieved dramatic cloud effects by using a separate negative to photograph the sky.

His work received medals at various showcases and was shown at the Universal Expositions of 1855 and 1867.

In 1865, he moved to Egypt, where he lived out the remainder of his life supporting himself by teaching drawing and painting.

Le Gray died on July 30, 1884 in Cairo, Egypt.