Staande vrouw voor een gordijn. Photomechanical print.

Born in Paris in 1857, Constant Puyo began his career as a photographer in the late 1870s, working primarily in the studio of his father, who was also a photographer. By the early 1880s, Puyo was beginning to establish his own reputation as a portrait photographer, and by the end of the decade he had opened his own studio in Paris. Throughout the 1890s, Puyo continued to focus on portraiture, but he also began to experiment with other genres, including landscape and still life photography. He was particularly interested in the use of natural light and the effects of light and shadow on his subjects. In 1900, Puyo was invited to participate in the Exposition Universelle in Paris, where he exhibited a series of photographs that showcased his innovative use of light and shadow. The exhibition was a great success and Puyo's work was widely praised for its technical excellence and artistic merit. Over the next decade, Puyo continued to experiment with different photographic techniques and styles. He became particularly interested in the use of colour photography, and in 1912 he was one of the first photographers in France to use the autochrome process, which allowed him to create vivid, lifelike colour images. Despite his success as a photographer, Puyo remained relatively unknown outside France during his lifetime. However, his work has since been recognised as an important contribution to the history of photography, and his innovative use of light and colour continues to inspire photographers today.