German Actress Lotte Stein 

Nicola Perscheid made this photograph of the German actress Lotte Stein, using the sepia tones favored by many pictorialist photographers. The photograph’s composition, dominated by the actress's figure, conveys a sense of theatricality and constructed identity. Stein is adorned in a costume evoking a romanticized past. Her gaze is averted, directed towards a hand mirror, a conventional symbol of vanity, and an almost reflexive performance of self. Perscheid's work reflects the broader artistic and philosophical concerns of the era. The soft focus and sepia tones contribute to a sense of nostalgia, mirroring the symbolist movement's interest in interiority and the elusive nature of representation. The photograph's formal qualities invite a semiotic interpretation, where costume, pose, and setting act as signs. These signs engage with cultural codes concerning beauty, gender, and performance. In considering this photograph, we find a carefully constructed image that destabilizes fixed notions of identity.