Artwork Page for Untitled (Portrait of a Woman)

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Untitled (Portrait of a Woman)

1879

Etienne Carjat

(French, 1828–1906)
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Culture
France
Medium
Photograph on enamel in copper alloy frame with velvet liner
Measurements
Overall: 7.7 x 6.3 cm (3 1/16 x 2 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
John Cook Memorial Fund 2017.8.2
Public Domain
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Location
230 Photography
Print

Description

Celebrated Parisian portrait photographer Etienne Carjat established his reputation through celebrity portraiture but his mainstay was images of middle- and upper-class sitters like this couple, presumably husband and wife. Seeking images more permanent than those made on paper, they paid extra to have their portraits vitrified on enamel. The process yields exquisitely detailed, durable images that appear as fresh as the day they were delivered to the sitters’ hands.
An oval photograph on enamel depicts a woman with light skin tone, shoulders turned slightly to our right but looking out at us with dark eyes and a faint smile. Her dark hair is braided and coiled atop her head. She wears a dark dress with a ruffled white collar, a brooch, and a chain. Pendant earrings hang from her ears. The portrait is set in a gold beaded frame with a dark velvet liner.

Untitled (Portrait of a Woman)

1879

Etienne Carjat

(French, 1828–1906)
France

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