Dating: The composition of the original works by Manet date from 1859-1881 but the photographs are not arranged chronologically in the albums. The albums, therefore, may theoretically have been compiled as late as 1881 or later, or slowly and irregularly over time beginning in the 1860s. Some of the notes on the mounts were added after the compilation of the album as they record exhibitions through 1883. The photographs in vol. 2 are mounted onto at least three different card stocks, which were never bound but rather housed in portfolio. Juliet Wilson-Bareau has identified one photograph (vol. 2, no. 2, Le Linge) as dating to 1874 and one group of five photographs (vol. 2, nos. 19-23) are identified on the mounts as installation photographs from the exhibit of Manet's works at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in January, 1884. Adolphe Tabarant identifies Manet as the photographer of about half of the items in vol. 1 (see his penciled notes) and notes in his Manet: Histoire Catalographique that the artist began hiring Godet to photograph his works in 1872 (see p. 22).
High reserve.
Members of the Godet family were active as photographers in Paris from at least 1859, in which year Anatole Louis Godet (1839-1887) was listed in a property census as an accountant for his father Nicolas Godet (1806-1878), who was a photographer. Anatole is said to have begun his photography career in 1870, and second son, Albert Godet (1851-1930) was also active in the family business. Following the death of their father, Anatole and Albert founded the firm Godet et Compagnie, which was active until at least 1887. In 1860, the family lived and worked at 9 rue Saint Louis in Batignolles; from about 1864-1887, the family (and, from 1878, the company) were based at 6 et 8 rue des Carrières des Batignolles (which became 6 et 8 rue Ganneron). It is unclear which family member (or members) is responsible for the photographs in these albums, although it is certain that the firm Godet et Cie is responsible for the 1884 installation photographs. See Adolphe Tabarant, Manet: Histoire catalographique (Paris: Éditions Montaigne, 1931), which identifies the works in these albums as having been photographed by Godet. In later literature, Jules-Michel Godet is identifed as Manet's studio photographer, but this individual was likely an un-related watchmaker who lived in another district in Paris.--Cf. Collection files
Two albums of photographs of the works of Edouard Manet. The photographs have been mounted onto the blue album pages and notes concerning the date of composition, exhibition history, and provenance information have been penciled below and around the images. The albums are foliated in the upper-right corner of the leaves and a label has been pasted to the upper cover of vol. 1; it reads: "Album de Photographs constitué par Man[et] (Se trouvait [à son] atelier)." Vol. 1 contains more extensive notes than vol. 2, which notes typically only record at most the date of composition or a citation. Vol. 2 also includes five installation photographs from an exhibition of Edouard Manet's works at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux Arts (5-29 Jan. 1884). About half of the photographs in vol. 2 are mounted on cards embossed with Godet's Paris address (nos. 24-42, 56), and some of the cards in the first half of the album are stamped in the lower right corner with a number (by which the cards are not arranged). Vol. 2 was apparently never bound, but is comprised of loose leaves of thick card (of at least three different stocks) laid into a portfolio.