Woman at a Dressing Table
Photograph
1850s (photographed)
1850s (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The object is a beautiful example of an early studio stereograph, depicting a woman at a dressing table, a genre rather uncommon in the medium of stereo photography. The face of the woman is presented in profile, though the thoughtful composition of the image allows for her reflection to show in half profile in the mirror. The stereograph probably comes from the same studio as the photograph of a nude from 1855 (museum-no. 36:373). Both model and studio props, like the mirror on the table or the table cloth, return in both of the photographs.
The analogies in the two photographs make them an excellent set to study the conventions of different photographic genres and the effects of different media and technique.
The analogies in the two photographs make them an excellent set to study the conventions of different photographic genres and the effects of different media and technique.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Woman at a Dressing Table (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | hand-tinted albumen paper |
| Brief description | A hand-tinted stereograph of a woman at a dressing table, probably 1850s, by John Watson |
| Physical description | A hand-tinted stereograph of a woman at a dressing table, albumen paper on cardboard, 1850s |
| Dimensions |
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| Summary | The object is a beautiful example of an early studio stereograph, depicting a woman at a dressing table, a genre rather uncommon in the medium of stereo photography. The face of the woman is presented in profile, though the thoughtful composition of the image allows for her reflection to show in half profile in the mirror. The stereograph probably comes from the same studio as the photograph of a nude from 1855 (museum-no. 36:373). Both model and studio props, like the mirror on the table or the table cloth, return in both of the photographs. The analogies in the two photographs make them an excellent set to study the conventions of different photographic genres and the effects of different media and technique. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.101-2013 |
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| Record created | November 15, 2012 |
| Record URL |
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