Manja Tzatschewa 1919

This is a black and white photographic portrait of Manja Tzatschewa, made by Nicola Perscheid, an important German Pictorialist photographer. Perscheid has masterfully deployed the darkroom techniques of his day to create a softened, intimate feel. Notice how the textures of fur trim and lustrous hat are given equal weight as the sitter’s features. The image speaks to the increasing commercialization of photography in the early 20th century, as a service industry catering to a rising bourgeois class, while also retaining a sense of artistic aspiration. Photographers like Perscheid walked a fine line, needing to produce portraits that were flattering and conformed to social norms, while also staking a claim for photography as a fine art. This involved experimenting with printing processes, unusual cropping, and dramatic lighting effects. Ultimately, Perscheid was both a commercial photographer and a significant figure in the history of photographic art.