[Comtesse Walewska and Princesse Jaochim Murat]

Art Historical Context

In the mid-19th century, photography emerged as a glamorous tool for Europe's elite, and this pair of intimate cartes de visite-sized albumen silver prints exemplifies that trend. Titled *Comtesse Walewska andcesse Joachim Murat*, these portraits before 1865 capture two noblewomen linked to Napoleon's inner circle: Marie Walewska, the Polish countess and one of the emperor's mistresses, Caroline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister and wife of Marshal Joachim Murat. Created by a collaborative team including the notorious Countess Virginia Oldoini Verasis di Castiglione—a pioneering photographic subject and muse—alongside studio photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson and retoucher Marck, the images hail from Paris's elite Mayer & Pierson studio. The medium's innovation shines through: crisp glass negatives printed on albumen paper, then meticulously hand-colored to mimic painted miniatures. At just 3⅜ × 2 inches each, these jewel-like photos were designed for personal albums or exchange among aristocracy, blending photography's precision with artistic embellishment. Their small scale and vivid hues highlight the era's fusion of technology and vanity, turning fleeting moments into treasured keepsakes. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, these prints offer a window into Second Empire glamour, where women of power wielded images as tools of influence and legacy. A delightful glimpse of history's high society, frozen in color and elegance.

About the Artist

Countess Virginia Oldoini Verasis di Castiglione|Pierre-Louis Pierson|Marck (French| ) · 1822 |1835 –1913 |1899

French, 1822–1913|1835–1899