Clara Pilvois 1867

André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri created this photographic portrait of Clara Pilvois in 1867. The multiple exposures, a hallmark of Disdéri's innovative carte de visite, allowed for a range of poses and perspectives of the sitter, influencing how portraits were consumed and circulated. Made in France during the Second Empire, this image speaks to the era's burgeoning culture of celebrity and visual spectacle. Pilvois, identified as an opera singer, is carefully styled and presented, reflecting the increasing importance of image and persona in the performing arts. The carte de visite itself became a social currency, traded and collected within the expanding middle class. Understanding this photograph requires an understanding of the history of photographic technology, the rise of celebrity culture, and the socio-economic transformations of mid-19th century France. Such insights can be found in archives, periodicals, and social histories of the period. By examining these contexts, we can better understand how art is shaped by, and in turn shapes, its social and institutional environment.