Portret van Marie Delna in een theaterkostuum before 1892

Curator: This photographic print, "Portret van Marie Delna in een theaterkostuum," dating to before 1892, is housed here at the Rijksmuseum, and it really captures my attention. Editor: My eye is immediately drawn to the theatricality of it all—the heavy drapery, the elaborate costume, the staff…it feels less like a portrait and more like a constructed performance. Curator: Exactly! That performance aspect is key. Nadar, as the artist, isn't just taking a photograph; he's presenting Marie Delna, a celebrated opera singer, in character, which contributes to shaping a historical narrative about the figure in the history of French theatre. Editor: Right, but the print itself tells another story, doesn’t it? Think about the paper, the ink, the mechanical process involved in mass-producing these images and getting them out to the public. What does it say about accessibility, the democratization of art, when a photographic print could be so widely disseminated? Curator: That’s an insightful point about democratization and the shift from painting to photography. The rise of photography certainly disrupted established artistic hierarchies, offering a new way for individuals, including women performers, to gain recognition and construct their public image. This work helped shape the view of actresses. Editor: I'm curious, though, about how those constructions impacted her material life. Did increased visibility translate into better wages or working conditions for actresses? Or was this photographic representation more about selling an ideal, a fantasy, with the tangible benefits accruing to someone like Nadar, who controlled the means of production? Curator: Absolutely, the celebrity machine's gears were turning. It makes one ponder what impact her own performance had on those constructs and public perceptions. Editor: Precisely! By centering Delna, she might, at the very least, change the industry in her own manner. It truly offers us much to consider in today's environment of image and identity. Curator: Indeed. Seeing how photography functioned as a tool for constructing identities is vital to remember. Editor: A worthy conversation we are grateful to have had.