Numme Haucke 1869 - 1874

Jeremiah Gurney captured this photograph of Numme Haucke using the wet-collodion process, a popular method in the mid-19th century. In the United States during this era, photography studios became important social spaces, offering a new form of portraiture accessible to a broader segment of the population than traditional painting. Consider the cultural codes at play here. Haucke’s attire, with its delicate lace and ornate fan, speaks to a performance of femininity and status that was carefully constructed through visual representation. Gurney's studio was one of the most successful in New York, catering to elite clientele but also participating in the democratization of image-making. Analyzing photographic portraits like this one involves looking into studio records, fashion trends, and social histories of the time. By studying these resources, we can begin to understand photography's role in shaping identity and social norms.