Portret van een vrouw, aangeduid als Mme. Marichal 1870 - 1900

Louis Martin captured this small portrait of a woman, possibly Madame Marichal, using a photographic process. The oval shape of the image immediately draws the eye, framing the sitter in a way that emphasizes her face and upper body. The photograph’s sepia tones give it a soft, almost dreamlike quality, while the fine details in her lace collar and the flower in her hair add texture. The composition is quite formal. The woman's gaze meets ours directly, creating a sense of intimacy. Consider how the oval format flattens the image, pushing the figure forward and reducing the sense of depth. This artistic choice brings a level of symbolic meaning to the artwork. It is as though Martin used the photographic medium as a kind of encoding technique, making us think about the relationship between representation and reality.