Le Gray was not the first to photograph breaking waves (see for example work by J. D. Llewelyn in this gallery). Recent research has unearthed the startling possibility that Le Gray may have been the publisher of some of the seascapes, not the photographer. An article in the British Journal of Photography (1 August 1864) mentions: ‘Macaire’s instantaneous photographs of the sea that were published some years ago by Le Gray which so astonished the photographic world’. However, little is known about the photographer Cyrus Macaire to whom this article probably refers.

The possibility that Le Gray acted as a publisher for other photographers is feasible. If true, the suggestion does not undermine Le Gray’s artistic judgement, high standards of printing and entrepreneurial skill. Some experts do not subscribe to the idea and opinion is currently divided.