Portrait of Ernestine Nadar, the artist's wife, wearing fur stole

Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait of Ernestine Nadar, the artist's wife, wearing fur stole

Nadar

Date
c. 1880–83
Medium
uncut sheet of three matte gelatin silver carte-de-visites
Culture
France
Department
Photography
Institution
Cleveland Museum of Art

This striking and unusual uncut sheet of carte-de-visite exposures was taken by one of France’s most successful early portraitist photographers, Nadar. Cartes de visites—small photographs the size of a visiting card (2.125 x 3.5 inches)—were statements of identity, meant to be seen by others. They were handed out to family, friends, and if one was a celebrity, purchased by fans. This is instead an intimate, direct exchange between sitter and camera, wife and husband. Nadar and his wife Ernestine were married for 54 years.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.

Related across collections

Semantically similar works from Cleveland Museum of Art and other institutions.