Mlle Sanlaville; Mlle Frimat; Mlle Marie Leroy 1861

Editor: Here we have a page from an album featuring portraits by André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, dating back to 1861. The women featured are Mlle Sanlaville, Mlle Frimat, and Mlle Marie Leroy. It's created from albumen prints. The composition is curious—multiple shots of each woman. I am struck by the theatricality of their poses and outfits! What draws your eye to this particular work? Curator: The repetition! It's like seeing early motion studies, hints of cinema's future flickering in these still portraits. You almost expect them to move if you stare long enough. Notice also the subtle gradations in each woman’s stance, particularly Mlle Marie Leroy on the lower right. How slight the angle of her head is as it changes! Editor: It is pretty subtle... almost like stop motion animation! Were these multiple shots taken at once, or did Disdéri move them, pose by pose? Curator: My suspicion? He certainly directed each model through minute changes of position. Imagine the patience required – both by photographer and subject – to orchestrate these proto-cinematic sequences with such painstaking detail. Also, consider that with the low light levels and the slow speed of these collodion emulsions, those long exposure times… whew! A monumental exercise of precision. Doesn’t it feel almost ghostly, a Victorian precursor to Instagram's grids? Editor: Definitely a ghostly predecessor! That patience is something to admire in this digital age. I’ll never look at an old photo the same way again. Thanks! Curator: The pleasure was mine! And remember – ghosts are often just waiting to be recognized, don’t you think? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I feel a daguerreotype calling my name!