The Madame B Album c. 1870s

This page from “The Madame B Album” features a series of photographic portraits, meticulously arranged within a lattice-like framework. Each image captures a member of Madame B’s social circle. What makes this presentation so compelling is the tension between the relatively new medium of photography and the traditional craft of album making. The carte-de-visite photographs, made by a professional studio, are carefully slotted into a decorative structure of paper and card. The delicate framework imitates wood latticework and is reminiscent of high-society craft practices. This album page shows a considered act of arranging and composing, reminding us of the importance of social networks during this time. Albums like this were a way of curating personal identity, while the labor of producing them reflected the social values and pastimes of bourgeois women in particular. Ultimately, “The Madame B Album” prompts us to think about the work involved in constructing social relationships and preserving memories, and how the very materials used contribute to the meaning of the artwork.