Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, known by the pseudonym Nadar or Félix Nadar, a French journalist, writer, caricaturist, photographer, and balloonist. He was the prototype for the character of journalist Michel Ardan in Jules Verne's novels. Born in Paris, he spent his youth in Lyon, where his father owned a small publishing house. Due to financial circumstances, Nadar was forced to abandon his medical studies and began working for newspapers. In the 1840s, Nadar moved to Paris, wrote his first book "La Robe de Déjanira" and began to draw caricatures for articles. In 1854, Nadar published the lithograph "Panthéon Nadar". The first sheet included 249 caricatures of his contemporaries, writers, and other notable figures. A total of four sheets and over a thousand satirical portraits were planned. To speed up his work, Nadar decided to use photographs as preliminary sketches. He trained with Camille D'Arnoux and, along with his brother Adrien, opened a studio on rue St. Lazare. By 1855, they had won a gold medal at the World Exhibition for their portraits of mime Charles Debureau. The success of his brother and his desire to manage the business independently led to a quarrel and legal disputes. Nadar opened a new studio on Boulevard des Capucines, placing a large neon sign reading "Nadar" above the entrance, created by Antoine Lumière. Nadar's approach differed from that of other studios. He photographed with minimal props against a neutral background, paying great attention to light and contact with the subject, creating complex psychological portraits. In 1886, along with his son Paul created the first photo interview and continued this practice until the late 1890s. By the late 1880s, the management of the studio gradually passed to his son, who also dedicated himself to photography. In his final years, Nadar focused on literature, reminiscing about his friend Charles Baudelaire and writing memoirs that reflected on the passing era. Nadar died in 1910. The collection of the A.A. Bakhrushin Theatre Museum houses portraits of Victor Hugo, George Sand, Alexandre Dumas, Guy de Maupassant, Alphonse de Lamartine, and other prominent personalities".