The Madame B Album c. 1870s

This is a page from "The Madame B Album" created by Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier. Note how Fournier arranged photographic portraits within a rigorous geometric structure. The composition features nine oval portraits set within a diamond grid formed by delicate, rope-like lines tied into decorative bows at each corner. Each portrait is carefully arranged within its oval frame, some faces angled towards the viewer, others in profile, creating a dynamic interplay of gazes and orientations. The sepia tones lend the album page a sense of nostalgia, while the clean lines of the geometric structure introduce a modern, almost mathematical order. The use of the diamond grid challenges the conventional rectangular format of photograph albums, disrupting traditional modes of presentation. It invites us to consider how social relationships are constructed and framed within the very structure of the album itself. This isn't merely a collection of faces; it's a structured network of relationships.