Bal
1860s
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
7.3 x 10.2 cm. (2 7/8 x 4 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
David Hunter McAlpin Fund, 1975
Accession Number
1975.548.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Bal" by Pierre-Louis Pierson, in the 1860s, captures the elegance of Second Empire France through a delicate albumen silver print from a glass negative. Measuring just 7.3 x 10.2 cm, this intimate portrait—likely a carte de visite—showcases Pierson's mastery in the burgeoning field of photography. As a leading Parisian photographer, Pierson specialized in studio portraits that flattered the elite, reflecting the era's obsession with fashion and social display. The title "Bal," meaning "ball" in French, evokes the opulent dances of the time, where women donned lavish gowns to dazzle at high-so...
About the Artist
Pierre-Louis Pierson · 1822–1913
Pierre-Louis Pierson (1822–1913) was a pioneering French portrait photographer whose career spanned the formative years of the medium. Born on December 13, 1822, in Hinckange in the Moselle department, Pierson developed an early fascination with photography during the 1840s, as the daguerreotype was still in its infancy. His early life and formal training remain sparsely documented, but by 1844, h...