Petite Reine d'Etrurie 1860s

Pierre-Louis Pierson made this albumen silver print called 'Petite Reine d'Etrurie,' sometime in the mid-nineteenth century in France. It is a mysterious image of a woman posing in costume. In this period photography was beginning to take hold both as a commercial enterprise and as a means of artistic expression. Pierson for example, was known for his portraits of the Countess de Castiglione, a prominent figure in French high society. The Countess used photography to construct her public persona, commissioning hundreds of images of herself in elaborate costumes and poses. This picture could therefore be seen in the context of the rise of celebrity culture and the increasing importance of visual representation in shaping social identities. The "Little Queen of Etruria" may well have been a role the sitter was performing for the camera, alluding to the fashion for historical themes in art and theatre. To fully understand the image, we might look to archives of theatrical productions, fashion plates, and the popular press, considering the social and institutional contexts in which it was made.