The Madame B Album c. 1870s

Editor: Here we have *The Madame B Album* from around the 1870s by Marie-Blanche Hennelle Fournier. It's an albumen print, comprised of many photos. It strikes me as quite playful, almost absurd, with all these regal-looking cats. What's your take on this curious collection? Curator: Well, let's think about what it *means* to produce an image like this in the 1870s. Albumen prints were meticulously crafted. It's not a quick snapshot. Someone invested considerable labor in capturing and arranging these cat photographs and emblems, like those little flags. Editor: So, you’re focusing on the labor behind it? Curator: Precisely. Think about the socio-economic context: who had the leisure time and money to engage in such a project? This album speaks volumes about class, labor and the material culture of the bourgeoisie in the late 19th century. Editor: That makes sense. The cats are arranged like heraldic symbols almost, giving the album this air of noble…feline-ness? Curator: Consider also, the act of photographing animals itself. Was it a means of exercising a degree of control over nature through this technology? The production of such images certainly reveals a specific relationship with the animal world at the time. Do you think there's something beyond just mere "playfulness"? Editor: I see what you mean. Thinking about the effort and context transforms my understanding. The image isn't simply cute cats, it represents status, production, and even power relations through material representation. Thanks, that really changed how I see it! Curator: Exactly! Considering the materiality of the artwork opens up all sorts of questions. Now we can appreciate how processes shape what we perceive.