Twintig portretten van Germaine Gallois en Blanche Laurens before 1892

This is an undated photographic print by Nadar, held at the Rijksmuseum, and it presents a page of twenty portraits of Germaine Gallois and Blanche Laurens. The visual structure is striking: a grid of faces, each a variation on a theme, yet collectively forming a study in physiognomy and representation. The sepia tone imbues a sense of historical distance, inviting us to consider the cultural codes at play. The composition, a matrix of similar yet distinct images, evokes the taxonomic impulse of 19th-century science, where photography was used to classify and categorize. This raises questions about identity, type, and the gaze. How do these formal choices destabilize established meanings? Each portrait captures a slightly different pose, expression, or attire, which suggests an attempt to capture the essence of the individual. Yet the very act of repetition hints at the constructed nature of identity, challenging fixed notions of selfhood. By arranging these portraits in a grid, Nadar encourages us to consider how meaning is created through repetition, difference, and the semiotic interplay of signs. Art, in this context, is not just about seeing, but about decoding.