The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Algerian Woman

late 1850s

Gustave de Beaucorps

(French, 1825–1906)
France, 19th century
albumen print from wet collodion negative
Image: 21.3 x 15.4 cm (8 3/8 x 6 1/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1997.45
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

How much of a person's face do you need to see to make a photograph a portrait?

Description

In some Muslim cultures, portrait photographs were commissioned of women who were completely veiled. However, given that De Beaucorps was a wealthy amateur photographer and art collector, he probably initiated the sitting to document the local costume. After studying photography with Gustave Le Gray in Paris, De Beaucorps photographed in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East between 1857 and 1861.
  • ?–?
    Family of the Artist (Gustave Beaucorps), sold to Marc Pagneux, Paris, France
    ?–?
    (Marc Pagneux, Paris, France), sold to Charles Isaacs Photographs, Inc., New York, NY
    ?–1997
    (Charles Isaacs Photographs, Inc., New York, NY), sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    March 4, 1997–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cheating Death: Portrait Photography’s First Half Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 22, 2016-February 5, 2017).
  • {{cite web|title=Algerian Woman|url=false|author=Gustave de Beaucorps|year=late 1850s|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1997.45