Artwork Page for Young Alsacienne Woman

Details / Information for Young Alsacienne Woman

Young Alsacienne Woman

c. 1871

Adolphe Braun

(French, 1812–1877)
Culture
France
Medium
carbon print on a ruled mount
Measurements
Image: 40 x 30.5 cm (15 3/4 x 12 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg 2021.57
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
230 Photography
Print
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Did You Know?

This woman wears a regional folk costume from the French region of Alsace, recalling traditions that were disappearing under the impact of industrialization and modernization.

Description

At the end of the Franco-Prussian War, Prussia seized much of the regions of Alsace and Lorraine. That inspired Adolphe Braun to produce a series of images of women meant to personify those lost territories. The images proved so popular that they were reproduced on souvenir items including postcards and ceramic plates.
A vertically oriented carbon print on a ruled mount features an Alsacienne woman with medium-light skin. Centered in the composition and looking upward, she wears a prominent winged black headdress and a fringed shawl draped over an intricate bodice. Fine tones shade her face and the folds of puffy, lace-cuffed sleeves. Her hands are clasped at her waist above a dark skirt, and a tear cuts into the mount's bottom left corner.

Young Alsacienne Woman

c. 1871

Adolphe Braun

(French, 1812–1877)
France

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