Frau Hofrat Josefine Raymond 1850s - 1860s

Franz Antoine captured this photograph of Frau Hofrat Josefine Raymond using the wet collodion process, a popular technique in the mid-19th century. This photographic process offered a new form of portraiture to a wider audience, yet it still carried the visual codes of painted portraiture, particularly in the way it represented social status. Look at the detail in Frau Raymond’s elaborate dress, a clear marker of wealth and social standing in Austrian society at the time. The pose, with her hand resting on a chair, is reminiscent of formal portraiture and speaks to the sitter’s place within the upper echelons of Viennese society. Yet, it also marks a shift in the democratization of image making, creating new audiences and new opportunities for social representation. Understanding this work requires looking at the social history of photography and the ways it intersected with older artistic traditions. By researching photographic journals, studio records, and social histories, we can better understand the changing role of art in 19th-century society.