Paul Michel Hossard (French, 1787–1862)

b. 1787 — d. 1862

Although from 1843-45 amateur daguerreotypist Paul Michel Hossard made architectural views, landscapes, and portraits of family members, little but his city scenes have entered public collections, with the majority held by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Born in Angers, Hossard was trained as a surveyor and cartographer, serving as an officer with the corps of geographic engineers under the Ministry of War (1824-45). In 1845 he was transferred to Paris and three years later was assigned to the first military commission to determine the fate of the French Revolution's insurgents. Hossard became a professor of astronomy and surveying at the École Polytechnique in 1855, retiring two years later. He committed suicide in Jarzé in 1862. His work was prominently featured in Paris et le daguerreotype at the Musée Carnavalet, Paris (1989-90). K.L.C.